Night Light
by Eschatona
Summary: Ignis shouts a warning, Magitek Troopers rain from the sky. It's the same metal men, over and over. Nothing's ever been unique about them, not one has ever stood out from the rest. Not until today . . . In which Insomia never fell and Prompto never escaped Niflheim: he's an MT. However, the urge to kill can't stop the blonde's desire for friendship. And, of course, Chocobos.
1. 1: Hesitation

Chapter One: Hesitation

 _As of 22nd February 2018, all chapters have been replaced with new, improved, thoroughly proof read versions_ ?

"Noct! There are imperials overhead!" Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum groaned in his frustration as his advisor called out the same unnecessary warning as always; it wasn't like anybody could miss the roar of an engine and the dark shadows cast by an Imperial Airship racing through the sky. The group looked up at the carrier full of soldiers that loomed above, ready to descend on them. The three were quick to draw their weapons as they prepared themselves for yet another fight.

The travelling mini-army lowered a little, before with the horrible sound of grinding gears the hatch opened up like a gaping mouth. Around two dozen Magitek Troopers jumped out and fell to the ground, their mechanical bodies contorting and crumbling as they absorb the force of the impact. The troopers were quick to straighten back up and activate their mechanical weapons, their purpose being to kill the Prince and his retinue.

Noctis always had wondered how a carefully constructed pile of nuts and bolts could possibly be so flexible, but as the battle started he pushed the question to the back of his mind. There's a lot he doesn't understand about the MT's: how they could recover from falls from such extreme heights, why their bodies evaporate once destroyed and most importantly how Niflheim could possibly program a mechanical soldier to be able to react so fluidly in battles. Brute force wasn't all the MT's have going for them; they can react to situations, adapt. Learn. Not even Lucis' top mechanics could program a machine to act like that, and yet Niflheim could somehow produce a seemingly endless army of these mechanical soldiers. It was odd, but yet another unanswered question about the MT's that Noctis threw to the growing pile of mysteries that would likely never be solved.

The battle was relatively quick: it took Noctis only one warp strike to fell one mechanical soldier, and once he felt his magic waning he resorted to the good old hack n' slash methods instead. Gladiolus sent the machines flying with strong, broad sweeps of his greatsword. Ignis was quick to finish off the troopers that were left vulnerable, initiating close combat with his trusty daggers. The Magitek Troopers had proven difficult to deal with when they'd first begun raining from the sky, but by now Noctis and his two companions were quite used to their attacks and proficient in dealing with them. The MT's seemed almost laughable foes now, compared to the threat they'd posed only a month ago when the Empire had first begun sending Imperial Airships after the Prince.

Two months ago the Empire had tried to storm Insomnia, aiming to steal the coveted crystal held inside the crown city. However they had been unable to penetrate the Great Wall, which King Regis had valiantly upheld throughout the assault. The Empire had been hitting it with everything they had, but it hadn't been enough to break the magic of the Lucis line. Angered by their humiliating defeat, Niflheim instead focused their attentions on Noctis himself, starting their campaign to kill or if possible capture the Crown Prince. The Empire had theorised that with no Prince and King Regis growing weaker by the day, the King would eventually die from the strain of upholding the wall and Insomnia would fall into chaos without a new King to crown. Niflheim planned on making their move during that moment of weakness, crushing Insomnia in its mechanical grip. First they needed to kill Noctis. So far, their attempts had all been unsuccessful.

King Regis had been understandably reluctant to let Noctis outside of Insomnia in fear his only son would be captured or killed by Niflheim. However, after weeks of persuasion the Prince had eventually convinced his father to allow him to leave the Crown City and explore the world. Regis had found some comfort as he'd heard that Noctis would be bringing Gladiolus and Ignis along for the journey and had eventually seen his son on his way with the gift of the Regalia. The car had served as Regis' reliable companion in the King's younger years, when he had set out on a journey of his own. He'd hoped that the car would serve his son just as faithfully.

Noctis reminded himself -as the Imperial Airship retreated into the sky and flew off- that when he'd set out he'd known that all this would happen. He'd been fully aware that he'd be hunted by the Empire, and he'd accepted it then. He accepted it now, too: no matter how frustrating the constant attacks were he'd persevere, all so he can be a good King when the time comes. The young Prince felt as though he couldn't achieve that lofty goal until he's seen and thoroughly explored the land he will one day rule.

The Prince took a step back from the battleground as Ignis despatched the last Magitek Trooper, or so he first assumed. Noctis' sharp eyes caught onto something shiny in the forest, and looking closer he realised that it was the armour of one last MT. A runaway?

"Gladio, Ignis. There's one more. Let's get it."

Upon the affirmative nod from his two teammates Noctis threw his sword hard into the forest, his aim impeccable after years of relentless training. A flash of blue light and crystal shards later and the Prince kicked the Trooper hard in the side, watching as it was sent stumbling back a few steps. Engine Blade in hand Noctis readied himself for a fight as the soldier straightened itself up, gripping it's rifle. A marksman then. Noctis was surprised that the machine didn't immediately try to blow his brains out. By now Noct was used to the MT's taking every possible chance to land a hit on him. So why hadn't this one tried to shoot him yet?

No matter, he decided, as he heard the footsteps of Ignis and Gladiolus, the two just now catching up to him after his warping. Noctis readied his engine blade to cut the machine in half, only to pause as the trooper appeared to stumble backwards at the sight of his sword. The action was odd enough in itself: machines like this don't _stumble_ , their movements were supposed to be graceful and fluid, without hesitation. Stumbling away like this was an act done in fear, of an instinctual need for self preservation, but Magitek Troopers weren't supposed to feel any of that. It was impossible.

The retreat was odd enough, but what surprised Noctis and his companions more was when the trooper let out a noise. It was the sound all MTs make: a mechanical garbling that sounded like a cellphone was dropped into a particularly vicious blender. While this noise was just as indistinguishable it was odd to hear it at all. Usually the troopers stay silent. So why was this one choosing now, of all times, to make noise?

"Hey Noct, what's taking you so long?" Noctis glanced up at Gladio for a moment as his Shield spoke, the Prince feeling confident enough in his skills to take his eyes off of the Trooper for a few moments. It hadn't attacked yet, and when it does he's sure he or either one of his friends could kill it in one blow.

"Sorry, I just.. don't you think it's acting weird?" He asked, watching as the Magitek Trooper took a few more hesitant steps back. Whether or not machines even had the capacity for things such as hesitation Noctis wasn't sure. "It should have tried to kill us by now, right? So why isn't it attacking?"

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow at the sudden questions from his Prince. He only noticed the Trooper's out of place behaviour now that Noctis had pointed it out. Still he didn't find it all that strange, not enough to warrant such reluctance to kill the thing at least.

"Are you going soft?" Gladiolus teased, before he summoned his Greatsword from the ether and took a step forward. "Whatever. I'll kill it myself if you're gonna be such a pansy"

The Trooper's reaction was both unexpected and unprecedented: the mechanical Soldier, instead of trying to attack like expected, turned right around and started to run. It tripped it's way over the thick foliage of the forest floor, mechanical legs not built for such terrain. What the three found particularly extraordinary about this was how the Trooper was turning its back to them for the second time, leaving itself wide open and exposed to their attacks. Just to get away. Never in all the battles they'd faced against the MT's had a soldier turned its back on the them. This Magitek Trooper was the first.

Gladio made to chase after the fleeing machine, only to stop at Noctis' hand on his shoulder. The Shield looked down at his Prince in silent question; Noctis only shook his head in response, sword disappearing from his hands in a burst of blue shards. "Don't. It's not worth the effort. Besides... it's running away. Let's just let it go"

Gladiolus was surprised at that, falling silent for a few moments as if debating the Prince's words. He eventually sighed with a slight nod of the head. He let his Greatsword disappear, Ignis' daggers doing the same. "Fine, it can just get torn apart by beasts or whatever. You really are going soft, you know that?"

Noctis only glared in response, and soon enough the three were continuing their journey to Lestallum. Even as they trudged through forests and muddy paths Noctis was unable to stop his mind from wandering back to the strange Magitek Trooper. It was just a machine, he reminds himself. A pile of nuts, bolts and metal, all held together by magic and -according to what he'd heard- a daemon. That's all, that's all it was. Just another Magitek Trooper.

Notes: Insomnia never fell and Regis isn't dead, so big change there. Also sorry if the chapters are a little short for some people. I knew I had to write at least one FFXV fanfiction so this is my first, and I just wanted to see an MT Prompto not fit in with the other dangerous MTs (':


	2. 2: A New Recipe!

Chapter Two: A New Recipe

Noctis woke up to a strong, familiar hand shaking at his shoulder. He didn't move at first, wanting to go back to his nap. However the hand shook him again moments later and he shifted with a small groan, finally reaching up and batting the hand away.

"I'm up, I'm up.." he groaned, forcing tired blue eyes open as he felt the Regalia jerking and jolting as Ignis drove them over rough ground. Or more specifically, the pebbles that make up the floor of an outpost parking lot.

The sky was growing steadily darker, night approaching faster than the three had been expecting. Upon realising they wouldn't make it to Lestallum by night-fall the trio had settled on a more realistic goal, deciding that the Wiz Chocobo outpost would have to do as a resting place for tonight.

Gladiolus had been insistent they just camp out at a haven instead, but in the end even Ignis had agreed that they deserved a proper rest. While not as spacious as a hotel room they were happy to rent out a camper van, and it would still be far more comfortable than camping at a haven.

The Prince and his retainers piled out of the Regalia. Noctis was surprised to see Wiz himself standing nearby, instead of in the dining area greeting guests like he usually was. In fact, the Prince quickly realised, there were no visitors sat at the normally crowded plastic chairs and tables. The hum of voices that often sounded from the dining area were gone. Even the woman offering Chocobo customisation options had disappeared, making Wiz the only one left at the outpost. How odd.

"Hey Wiz, where is everyone?" The man in question looked up as Gladio's gruff voice called out across the outpost. Despite how desolate the place currently was, a smile broke out on Wiz's face at the sight of his three regular visitors.

"Nice to see you three! You're the only faces that have shown since this morning I'm afraid, everybody else was scared off." The words brought puzzled frowns to the faces of the Prince and his entourage. They all wondered what could possibly have scared off any customers from this particularly popular outpost. Whoever you are, Chocobos are cute. It wasn't an opinion but fact.

Wiz noticed the confusion of the trio and was quick to explain as he lead them towards the dining area; he knew they'd be hungry. Whenever the three dropped by they'd always order food, and by now Wiz knew from experience that the big guy could eat like a behemoth.

"An MT came bumbling through this morning, completely on its own mind you. Didn't try to attack anyone; it made a beeline for the Chocobos. No idea what it wanted with 'em, it ran off as soon as I got near."

Wiz was too preoccupied clearing a table for the three to notice the pointed look both Ignis and Gladio sent Noctis, the Prince only glaring back. A Magitek Trooper who didn't attack on sight, and ran away from people? There was no doubt in any of their minds that this MT was the same one they'd allowed to escape, and Noctis knew full well that he'll soon enough get an earful for convincing his friends to be merciful. He was relieved to hear that the Trooper hadn't hurt anyone at least: Gladio would berate him endlessly for his 'softness' if it had.

Once finished setting the table, Wiz ushered his three guests into their seats. Pulling a lighter from his pocket he lit a candle in the centre of the table to fend off the gloom of the approaching night. "Well, what will it be? The menu hasn't changed, so the same as usual?"

At Noctis' nod of confirmation Wiz pulled out his notepad, scribbling down what he'd be making for the three: every time they visited, the group always ordered the same thing.

"So one Chocobo Club Sandwich for the Prince, Gysahl Chips and Green Smoothie for Ignis, and all three for Gladiolus?"

Gladio smirked as his order was read off, nodding. "Yep, sounds about right" he confirmed, and without further ado Wiz hurried off to the kitchen to prepare the food for the royal trio.

Noctis pulled out his phone, more than ready to play King's Knight and ignore his two friends completely. After a few taps he was faced with the game's loading screen. He stared at it idly as he drowned out the beginnings of Ignis and Gladio's conversation, only to almost drop his phone in surprise as panicked yelling shattered the idyllic quiet of the outpost.

"Get away, you stupid machine! Out! Out of my kitchen!"

The three sprung up from their seats and ran towards the commotion, Noctis feeling his heart jump at the mention of a machine. Was it that Magitek Trooper from earlier again? He reached the kitchen just in time to see a blur of metal armour disappear into the forests surrounding the outpost.

Wiz made to run after the soldier only to stop, realising it was pointless, he'd never be able to catch it on foot. The man turned back to his mess of a kitchen with a heavy sigh, solemnly surveying the damage; spices were strewn all over the floor and worktops; Ingredients lay in the dirt, crushed from being trampled over by heavy metal boots.

Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose, the man uncomfortable seeing the workplace of a fellow cook in such a state. With nothing else to do Wiz begun picking up the scattered vegetables off of the floor, halfheartedly examining them before throwing them in the waste bin. He already knew that none of it would be salvageable.

"Sorry boys, but unless you can get me those ingredients back before that MT does.. well, whatever machines do with vegetables, then I'm afraid I won't be able to cook anything for you tonight"

With their dinner on the line Noctis was quick to rise to the challenge, a small yet reassuring smile on his face. "Don't worry, we'll get you your food back. You know what, we'll even take down a Garula or two so Specs can cook up some steak. That alright with you, Wiz?"

The man nodded, a kind smile on his face as he and Ignis begun to tidy and try to save what they could of the spilt spices. There was no debate: it was apparent that Ignis wouldn't be leaving this kitchen until it was back in its proper state.

"Of course, it'll be an honour to have a royal chef cook in my kitchen."

Ignis once again adjusted his glasses at that, the only sign of pride he allowed to show through his always perfect composure. "I'm no royal chef, but nonetheless I'm flattered that you'd hold me in such a high regard." Ignis' gaze then shifted to his companions. Gladiolus and Noctis both lingered by the door, already raring to go.

"You two bring back something edible, and I'll cook us up some well deserved dinner. Get something good and I might have a new recipe on my hands. If not, you're having flame roasted toast again."

The promise that failure would result in more toast had the two out of the door in a matter of seconds. They took two Chocobos from the stable -with Wiz's permission, of course- and set off into the forest.

Noctis rode behind Gladio, who was skilfully tracking the Magitek Trooper. Noctis had no idea how he did it, his Shield apparently picking up on tiny details in their surroundings that Noct was completely oblivious to.

It was clear from the carnage left in the kitchen that the Trooper had been in quite a hurry to run away. Again with the retreating... Noctis knew it was silly, but he felt awful at just the thought of killing something that was trying it's hardest to escape, machine or not.

"Hey Noct?"

"Hm?" The two didn't slow their pace even as Gladiolus struck up conversation, both determined to catch up with the Trooper before it ruined the ingredients it had made off with.

"You know we're going to have to kill it this time, right? Before it really does hurt someone. It's wild, dangerous. Someone could die"

Noctis went quiet at that. He knew Gladio was right: Magitek Troopers were machines of destruction, programmed to kill any living thing that wasn't aligned with the Empire. It felt so wrong, killing something that was trying so desperately to run away- a silent plea for mercy.

Nonetheless.. they had to kill it. He knew that. He was the Prince, soon to be King: he had to protect his people. With this thought in mind Noctis nodded in response to the question, before forcing himself to speak as he remembered Gladio couldn't see him from ahead.

"Yeah. I know. We find it, we kill it...That's what a good King would do."

Notes: Sorry that these chapters are quite short! I love hearing what you think of my writing, so comments are much appreciated! （＾ω＾）


	3. 3:Prompto

Chapter Three: Prompto

Things really begun to get dangerous when the forest floor in front of Noctis and Gladio turned to a black pool of putrid sludge.

Several imps pulled themselves out of the decay, roused by the movement above them. The Chocobos were startled by the sudden appearance of the daemons so Gladiolus veered away, distancing himself and his steed from the imps. He knew it was essential they found this Magitek Trooper before it hurt anyone. Actually having a Chocobo would speed things up, so he grappled with his bird's tendency to run away in the face of danger.

Noctis however wasn't as quick in the uptake; he didn't react nearly as fast as his Shield had managed to. As the imps begun throwing balls of magic every which way his fluffy yellow Chocobo bucked him off with a squawk and ran deeper into the forest.

Gladio considered pursuing it on his own ride but quickly abandoned the idea. That would result in his charge having to fend off a hoard of imps on his own. What kind of Shield would he be if he abandoned Noctis to the wrath of bloodthirsty daemons over one Chocobo? Instead Gladiolus brought his Chocobo to a halt a fair distance from the imps, before he returned to Noctis's side. After a shared nod the two begun to beat down the imps.

Once it was over and the mangled daemon corpses were melting into sludge on the floor, the two made their way over to Gladiolus' Chocobo, who'd thankfully stayed put. They continued in the direction they'd left off, this time travelling by foot. Gladio knew that Noctis wouldn't be able to keep up with him if he travelled ahead on the Chocobo, even with his warping abilities.

"Hey Noct, can't you call your Chocobo back with that whistle?"

Gladio piped up with the suggestion after a few minutes of silent walking. He was referring to the Chocobo whistle they'd received from Wiz several weeks ago when the trio had taken down Deadeye, a behemoth who'd been terrorising the outpost. The Prince nodded eagerly at the suggestion, not wanting to walk. He reached into his pocket to procure the whistle, only to groan in disappointment.

"I don't have it. I gave it to Ignis when he went off on his own to get those potatoes, remember?"

Gladiolus merely grunted in confirmation that he recalled the moment. Just great. He'd said they should have stored that whistle in the ether, but nobody had listened.

He looked down at the Chocobo trotting along next to them, surprised as the bird started squawking and flapping its wings about. Gladio only just managed to avoid getting a face-full of feathers. He placed a hand on the Chocobo's soft neck to soothe it, looking over at the Prince. "Hey Noct, I bet it can sense the other Chocobo nearby. We must be close."

Noctis nodded at that and both men found themselves increasing their pace, Gladio silently thanking the Astrals that the runaway bird had sprinted off in the same direction their rogue MT had gone. They really needed to hurry this up he decided, eager to apprehend the soldier. They could put it down, return to camp and get on with their lives without further ado.

That was the plan, at least.

When Noctis and Gladiolus broke through the trees into a small clearing, they were surprised to find both the Chocobo and the Magitek Trooper all at once. They summoned their weapons from the ether, Gladio ready to slice the mechanical body in half at the first move the MT made. Just like he should have done the first time they'd encountered it.

Instead of jumping into a fight Noctis instead assessed the situation, trying to make sure he was fully aware of everything in this little clearing before he made any decisions. The Trooper was on the floor sitting against a tree, looking at them both. It didn't move an inch, seemingly frozen in place. The soldier's rifle was propped up against the same tree, although far enough away that the duo would have time to attack if the machine reached for it. They were on opposite sides of the clearing so the long ranged Magitek fighter would have the advantage for a few moments, but those precious seconds would have to be spent grabbing its gun.

Next, the Prince's eyes drifted to the stolen food. The ingredients were scattered by the trooper's feet; two carrots, an onion and a handful of lettuce leaves. He noted that the carrot had a few Chocobo shaped bites taken out of it. He presumed the culprit was his runaway Chocobo, who was standing next to the Magitek Trooper. The bird was shifting uneasily, pawing at the ground with one clawed foot every so often, as if it could feel the tension in the clearing.

And oh boy, was there tension; the MT still hadn't moved, Gladio was clearly ready to chop the machine to pieces at any second, and Noctis was trying to figure out what the hell was going on here.

Or more specifically, why there were human shaped bites in the turnip held in the soldier's hand. Last time he'd checked, Magitek Trooper didn't have mouths. Their face masks had eye holes, that was it. Machines didn't need to eat.

There was tense silence for a moment before Gladiolus spoke up, muttering to the Prince standing by his side: "Why isn't it facing us?" He asked, voice low and gruff.

Noctis could only shake his head, pondering the question himself: the Trooper was turned away from them, facing the trees, it's mask hidden by the darkness of night. Now that he looked closer, Noctis also saw that the thick layer of armour usually covering the Trooper's arm was missing. He could see a bare hand connected to a similarly bare forearm, gripping at the turnip like it was a lifeline.

Due to the poor visibility and the shadows cast from the trees, Noct couldn't make out the colour of the metal exposed by the layer of removed armour. He presumed more silver, or possibly green to match the face mask. Gladio and Noctis fell back into silence, waiting for the inevitable: the MT would grab for it's gun, and then they'd kill it. That was all that was going to happen here.

That is not what happened.

Chaos broke loose as a sabertusk sprang out from the treeline, snarling and snapping. It was alone, and likely starving to have the resolve to hunt during the night. Most beasts hid during the dark hours, away from the terrors that came with darkness. Much like the Trooper that had caused them unlikely amounts of trouble, this Sabertusk was an exception to all the known conventions of its kind.

The creature, wolf like in its movements, pounced straight at the Chocobo. There was no warning, only a terrified squawk from the bird as it was left with no time to run. The Sabertusk lunged for it with its jaw wide open, aiming right for the kill. Then a second later came a noise which neither Noctis nor Gladiolus could have ever prepared for: a very human scream of pain.

Both Prince and Shiled simply stared, watching stunned as blood dripped to the floor.

The Magitek Trooper had jumped in between the Sabertusk and the Chocobo, the beast latching on to the soldier's exposed forearm. Which -under the moonlight filtering through the trees- was now properly visible. It wasn't silver nor green like Noctis had expected, no: it was a pale, fleshy pink, with Sabertusk fangs buried deep inside it.

But that wasn't even the most shocking part.

The Magitek Trooper had a _face_. It's mask had been raised, resting above its head, revealing a face that was currently contorted in pain. The sight of human suffering was what forced Noctis out of his frozen state, and he made his body move despite the numbness in his mind. One stroke of his sword was all it took for the Sabertusk to fall to the ground, and with the threat eliminated Noctis went straight back to staring again.

He barely noticed how the Trooper cradled its bleeding arm tight to it's chest in both pain and fear. The soldier backed away a few steps even as Noctis let his blade vanish back into the ether. As far as the Prince was concerned, there was nothing dangerous in this clearing.

"You.. you're human." It wasn't a question, nor an accusation. Merely a statement of truth from the Prince, as he stared in wonder at the face that had been hidden under the Empire's mask. The soldier's skin was pale, unnaturally so, as if it had never seen the light of day before. A mess of blonde hair was stuck to the trooper's face, which was coated with a glistening sheen of sweat.

The only thing that appeared as inhuman was the blood red eyes, glowing orbs flicking nervously between Prince and Shield. Noctis could tell it -no, he- was scared. He wouldn't take his eyes off of them, was taking little steps away. When Noctis spoke he did so with a gentleness that surprised even himself, determined not to scare the Trooper any further. Chasing the soldier through the forests again was not on his to-do list.

"Look, we're not going to hurt you, okay? You're safe. Safe. Do you understand?"

For a tense moment there was no response. Noctis felt his hope that the Trooper could speak or at least understand him fade, only for it to be restored as the soldier nodded silently. Noctis gave the most comforting smile he could manage as he noticed the blonde was no longer backing away from him. That was a start.

Noctis tried his best to get a look at the male's torn up arm without getting any closer, worried that he'd startle the soldier if he did. The wounds were wide, dripping blood. Noctis noticed with concern that it was far darker than any human blood he'd seen before, almost black in colouring. However he decided that this information was for now unimportant; they needed to stop the bleeding.

"Okay.. I'm going to come a little closer, alright? I can make your arm better."

The blonde nodded with less hesitation this time and Noctis took that as his signal. He moved forwards slowly, relieved as the Trooper didn't scuttle back like Noctis had been worried he would. As gently as he could he took a hold of the wounded arm and lifted it carefully, taking a closer look.

Noctis felt both anger and disgust boil inside him as he spotted a barcode imprinted on the pale skin of the soldier's wrist. The blonde seemed to notice the angry look on the Prince's face and shifted uncomfortably, Noctis trying to calm himself down as he noticed the reaction, really not wanting to scare the Trooper further.

"Sorry, I promise I'm not angry at you. I just.. I can't believe the Empire would treat people as things. It's horrible."

Noctis tried his best to ignore the sick twisting in his stomach as he remembered that he'd been calling this Trooper an 'it' a few minutes ago and instead focused on pulling a potion from the ether. He noticed the blonde flinched violently as he saw the burst of crystalline shards, but the male seemed to calm down as he noticed it was only a potion. It made sense, he supposed: the Trooper would have only seen him summon swords before. Nobody ever guessed they kept their items in the ether too, but where else was he supposed to store 99 of every curative, ingredient and treasure?

Noctis poured the potion over the blonde's wounds, the male tensing a little under the cool liquid. The Prince tightened his grip in response, keeping the injured arm still and watching as the flesh seemed to bubble and spit under the potion, before the skin begun to fuse together.

Once he was satisfied the wounds had begun closing he pulled a bandage roll from the ether, happily noting the Trooper didn't flinch at the flash of blue this time. Noct begun to wrap up the wound, the raven haired Prince surprisingly adept in the field of first aid.

When he was done he took a step back to give the MT some space, Gladiolus having stayed quiet this whole time. Noctis was grateful for that: despite how kind the man was at heart, he was a big figure and as such could be more than a little imposing at times.

"How does it feel?" The Prince asked, deliberately phrasing the question so that a simple nod or shake of the head couldn't properly answer it. He wanted to see if the Trooper could speak. He hoped the blonde could: it'd definitely make getting to know him a lot easier.

The soldier was silent for a few moments. He looked thoughtful, as if he were carefully selecting and thinking over what to say. Then he spoke, words slow and carefully considered "It feels better.. thank you"

Noctis offered a bright smile in response, relieved to hear the Trooper speaking like a normal person. He'd been scared his voice would be robotic, or he wouldn't even have a voice at all. Instead it sounded so very human; a voice full of emotions and life.

"It's no problem at all!" Noct assured him, before a thought came to mind "Hey, do you have anywhere to go back to? An Empire base perhaps?"

Both Noctis and Gladiolus were surprised by the fervour in which the Trooper shook his head, a dark look crossing the boy's face. "No. I-I can't go back. I ran away.. they'd kill me. P-please don't make me"

Noctis realised that the blonde was beginning to panic and was quick to try and calm him down. He placed a comforting hand on the Trooper's armoured shoulder without thinking about it, relieved as he didn't flinch at the contact. "Hey, its fine. Don't worry about it... how about you come with us? We'll let you camp out with us for a bit, if you want. Right, Gladio?"

The Prince turned to give his Shield a pointed look that read 'don't you dare argue'. The man uncrossed his arms and sighed after a moment, shaking his head. Of course Noctis had to go and make friends with a Magitek Trooper of all things. Of course. "Yeah yeah, whatever. You can stay with us, I guess.. you have a name, kid?"

The blonde hesitated for a moment before giving his reply, uncertainty lacing his voice as he spoke. ".. Unit 05953234" he said quietly. Surprisingly it was Gladio who corrected him this time, once more shaking his head, finally letting his great sword disappear into the ether. If this kid was going to try anything, he supposed he would have done it by now.

"Nah, that's not a name. That's a code. I'm Gladiolus, and he's Noctis" he said, jabbing a thumb in the Prince's direction "So who are you?"

There was more silence for a good few moments as the soldier seemed to deliberate over what he should say, before he finally spoke again, red eyes shining in the darkness of the clearing as he looked up at the Prince and his Shield.

"Prompto"

Notes: Hello there! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading!

（＾ω＾）


	4. 4: Sunburn

**Chapter Four:** Sunburn

Wiz didn't seem all too comfortable having a Magitek Trooper wandering around his outpost, but Noctis couldn't exactly fault the man for that. Despite the fact that Prompto was most definitely a human being, it didn't change the fact that this mysterious blonde had probably killed people in the past.

It was a prospect that kept nagging at Noct's mind despite how hard he tried to forget about it. He didn't want to believe it, didn't want to think that this seemingly innocent -and frankly, rather cute- male had killed people. Had taken lives, the lives of his people in fact. The idea of Prompto having killed people was bad enough, but the prospect of it being soldiers of Lucian blood just made it all the worse.

The Prince and his two retainers sat in their plastic chairs, watching the Trooper eat at such a fast pace he might as well have never seen food before. Noctis felt like the question was eating away at his very mind, lingering constantly in his brain. He knew he wouldn't be able to get rid of the constant unease he felt whenever he so much as looked at the soldier, not if he didn't find out, didn't know if this innocent looking blonde had ever killed people. So after much consideration, he decided the only thing he could do was to simply ask him.

"So, uh, Prompto.. have you ever killed anyone?"

There was an awkward silence for a few moments as everyone around the table tensed up. Ignis and Gladiolus stopped their murmured conversation and Prompto froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth, Ignis-made curry splashing back into his bowl as he went still. Even Wiz paused from where he was emptying the trash can -full of spoiled vegetables- into the skip, wanting to hear the answer to the question all four had been thinking, but only one had dared to ask.

The silence stretched for a moment before Gladio snorted, punching Noctis in the arm. "Way to be subtle, Princess." Noctis glared but said nothing, knowing he could have been more tactful, but he didn't see the point. At the end of the day he just wanted an answer; had Prompto killed people, or not?

Noctis basked in the wave of relief that crashed over him when the blonde shook his head. Prompto spoke after a few moments, stirring his spoon round in the curry distractedly, not meeting the eyes of the Prince nor his retainers.

"I've never killed any people, no.. just other Magitek Troopers, in training."

Ignis let a frown slip onto his face at that, although Noctis had a suspicion that it wasn't over the death of Niflheim Soldiers, but over the fact Prompto was playing with his food.

"Other Magitek Troopers? But they're people too, no?"

They were surprised as the blonde shook his head again at the question, having assumed that all the Soldiers would be just like Prompto: human beings.

"No.. they're all just machines and daemons. I was the only one to be human, although I was.. defective"

They all picked up on the hint of bitterness in Prompto's voice. Noctis was about to ask what he meant by defective but fell silent as he received a kick in the shin from Gladio, followed up by Ignis' pointed stare.

The Sheild spoke up in a friendly effort to change topic, as it was quite clear this current one wasn't something Prompto liked to talk about "So kid, if you're not a machine then you're not going to run out of power on us or anything, right? Or should we get you one of those Magitek Generator thingies?"

Prompto shook his head at that, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. "Nah, actually.. I think the less contact I have with Magitek Generators the better."

Gladio raised an eyebrow at that response, watching as the blonde sighed. Prompto rested his head on his arms where he'd crossed them on the table, absently tracing small circles on the plastic tabletop.

"They put us all in a room with them before they put us in the airships. I don't know why, but they make stuff... weird. Everything goes all fuzzy and my head starts spinning and..." the boy shuddered, despite the warmth of the summer night's air. "I just feel like I'm not myself anymore. There's a voice in my head telling me to.. to kill the enemies of the Empire."

Ignis' keen ears picked up on the sharp intake of breath from Gladiolus, and the chef spoke his next words carefully, anxious about the answer he'd receive. "And do you still hear that voice now?"

"A little." Prompto admitted, before looking up as Gladio's sword appeared, realisation dawning on the blonde's face as he understood the implications of what he'd just said.

This was the Crown Prince and his entourage: if anyone was an enemy of the Empire it was most certainly these three, and he'd just revealed he was hearing a voice telling him to kill them? Good one, Prompto. Just great.

"W-wait, I didn't mean it like that! Just because I hear it doesn't mean I have to listen to it! I'm not going to kill you guys, I promise!"

Gladiolus simply glared at the pleading blonde for a moment before his sword shattered into crystaline shards. He sat back down after having risen from his seat, crossing his arms across his muscled chest, a slightly smug smirk on his face. "As if you could kill us anyway. I bet you're useless without your gun."

Prompto laughed weakly at that, nodding in agreement. "You're not wrong there." He admitted, letting his head rest down on his arms again, fingers once more rubbing circles on the table. It was little, habitual actions like these, a watchful Noctis decided, that made him certain this Trooper was nothing less than human.

The next morning the Prince and his retainers awoke to screams of pain.

All three were jolted awake by the sound, assuming there was some kind of imminent danger present from the way Prompto was screaming. However what they saw as they scrambled up from their sleeping bags was just as worrying as any beast or even daemon: the blonde was curled up on the floor outside the tent's entrance, screaming in agony, his exposed skin burning up despite a lack of fire.

Nobody had any idea what to do. Noctis panicked, rushing to Prompto's side, hands flitting over his body as if trying to think of how to help. Gladiolus was in a state of shock, the man simply standing there and staring down at the boy who was clearly in agony. He had no idea if there actually was anything he could do to help.

Ignis however had the sense and discipline to stay calm and actually do something about the situation; he ran back into the tent and after a few moments of frantic rummaging returned. He threw the towel he'd grabbed over Prompto's shuddering body and after about a minute the screaming stopped. It quietened down to pained sobbing, the noises muffled by the thick towel.

The three crouched down around Prompto's covered form. Noctis looked on edge, as though he were scared the blonde was going to resume his pained wailing any second. Ignis was the one who spoke first, Gladio not knowing what to say and Noctis still too shocked to form a properly coherent sentence.

"Prompto, I believe that your body is having an adverse affect to the sunlight. We're going to move you back to the outpost and take you into the caravan, where we can safely see to your burns. Is that okay?"

Ignis took the whimpers from under the towel as a yes. He gestured to Gladio, who was quick to scoop up both Prompto and the towel. Without further delay the group begun walking back towards the thankfully nearby Wiz Chocobo Outpost.

The night before had found them setting up camp at Ausace haven, Ignis having stated that it was unfair to expect Wiz to harbour a Magitek Trooper at the outpost, human or not. Nobody was sure how Wiz would react to the reappearance of both them and the soldier, but they just had to hope the man would be understanding. Then they could heal Prompto's burns and get him back in his armour, which would hopefully protect him from the sunlight.

"Be careful Gladio. Don't let the towel fall off." The Shield nodded in response at that and tightened his grip on Prompto, who was still safely bundled up in the towel. Gladio was trying his best not to drop him whilst trying to keep a good pace. After a few minutes of silent, fast paced walking Ignis spoke once more, taking note of the worry painted all over Noct's face. "Come on now, Highness. Relax. He'll be fine."

Noctis nodded at his advisors words and finally spoke up, directing his speech at the male hidden in the towel. "We'll get there soon Prom. Promise."

There was no response. From the way the bundle of towel and human had gone limp in his arms Gladio presumed the boy had passed out. Hoping it was from the pain of the burns and not a lack of oxygen he continued to walk, knowing a dark caravan and the opportunity to apply potions was waiting for them at the outpost.

The walk took just over twenty minutes, and by the end of it Noctis was really wishing they'd driven to the haven last night instead of walking under the pretence of fitness. Both Gladio and Prompto had been all for the walk so Noctis had begrudgingly agreed, but now he was seriously regretting that. They could have done this journey in a fraction of the time with the Regalia, instead of the long walk through forests they'd had to endure.

As the Outpost finally came into view Noct thanked the Astrals that they hadn't ran into any monsters on the way here, the three rushing Prompto straight to the caravan. They could pay for the accommodation later.

Gladiolus placed the boy down on the bed while Ignis drew the curtains tight shut and closed the door, trying his hardest to block out as much sunlight as he could. Deciding the room was sufficiently dark enough Ignis removed the towel from Prompto's body, trying his best to ignore the hissing intake of breath from Noct as the burns were revealed. They certainly weren't a pretty sight: every piece of visible skin was red, sore and slightly crispy. Ignis didn't dwell on it, knowing such an injury could be cured with a few potions; while no exposed skin was left un-burnt, the damage was thankfully light.

"Right, he needs to crush a potion. Gladio, can you wake him up?"

The large man nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently slapping the blone's face, continuing until he awoke. Prompto pried his eyes open with a pained moan, blinking up at the men above him. Noctis switched places with Gladiolus, the dazed blonde feeling the bed dip as the Prince sat down, a potion in hand.

"Hey Prom, we're gonna make the burns go away and then you can go back to sleep. That alright?"

Noctis brushed a few strands of blonde hair back as Prompto nodded. Noctis placed the potion in the blondes hand, making sure he had a good grip on it. Prompto would have to crush it: yesterday the male's wounds had been concentrated to one area, so pouring a potion over his arm had worked fine, but right now the injuries were everywhere. Crushing the magical bottle would be necessary if they wanted to heal all his burns in one hit. Noct took Prompto's hand in his own and with a bit of squeezing helped him shatter the flask, watching as the blonde's burns immediately begun to fade.

It only took a few seconds for Prompto's red eyes to fall closed again. Noctis stood, a concerned look on his face as he stared down at the blonde. He turned to Ignis as he felt his advisor's hand on his shoulder, eyes sympathetic. Ignis could understand that Noctis was worried: they all were.

"He'll wake up soon, Noct, I promise. For now, we must let him rest"

Noctis nodded with a sigh. Running a hand through his hair worriedly he took a seat on the floor, leaning against the bed. "I know, Specs.. you guys go pay Wiz, I'll stay here with him."

Both Ignis and Gladio agreed to that without complaint, and the two left the caravan to pay Wiz. They also planned to explain their... peculiar situation to him. Hopefully he'd be sympathetic, and allow them to stay until Prompto woke up. Noctis knew that technically the could pull rank on Wiz, but he really hated doing that. They would just have to wait, Noctis told himself. It would be a long wait, he knew that already, but wait he would.

 _ **Notes**_ _: Hello there! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a little tricky to write but I think it turned out okay. But poor Prom! Guess sunlight doesn't really agree with him. At all_?


	5. 5: King's Knight

Chapter Five: King's Knight

Noctis was dosing off, head resting against the side of the bunk bed. He was listening to the sounds of Prompto's rhythmic breathing, the noises enough to lull him into a half sleep. However his eyes snapped open as the pattern of breathing changed, and Noctis watched as Prompto sat straight up in bed with a gasp.

"Ignis! Gladio! He's awake!" Noctis called, and his two retainers immediately rushed in. They'd been sat outside the caravan having a drink, enjoying the warmth of the summer air. Due to how dark they were keeping the caravan it was quite cool inside, but Noctis didn't really mind. He hadn't left the rented accommodation once since they'd arrived, staying vigilant by Prompto's side.

Prompto was sitting up in bed, hands in his lap, sweating slightly despite the coolness of the caravan. Noct frowned as he noticed the little beads of sweat on the blonde's forehead, but reminded himself that Prompto had been through a lot in the last twenty four hours. A little sweat was normal he assured himself. It was nothing to be worried about.

"Hey Prom, how are you feeling?" He asked, offering a small smile as red eyes met his own. Prompto thought about his answer for a moment before just shrugging, looking down at his lap again.

"Fine, I guess.. a little queasy."

Ignis spoke up at that, the man standing by Prompto's bedside. "It's likely because you haven't eaten anything since that curry last night.. you've been unconscious since this morning, and it's evening now. Are you hungry?"

Prompto silently nodded and without another word Ignis went to get him some food. Noctis found himself worried about the blonde's quietness; the male had been so loud and energetic before. But again, he brushed the worries away, deciding it was only natural. It had been a hell of a day, for all of them.

After a few minutes spent in a comfortable silence Ignis came back with a sandwich on a paper plate, handing it to Prompto. "Here you go, it's cucumber and tuna. Eat up"

Prompto smiled again with a quiet "Thanks", and was quick to take a bite out of the sandwich. He nodded in appreciation at the well made food; Ignis could make even a simple sandwich taste like perfection.

All was well, Prompto eating his sandwich happily. Gladiolus and Noctis were both on their phones, the Prince playing a solo round of King's Knight. He'd decided he'd have to teach Prompto how to play at some point, get him an account set up. They could even get the male a phone, and then they could play against each other. That'd be fun.

Prompto placed the plate down on the little table next to the bed once he was done eating, sending a grateful smile Ignis' way. "That was really good. Thank you" Ignis nodded in response, and Noctis happily noticed that Prompto was beginning to sound a little bit more like his old self.

"It's no problem at all." Ignis assured, the man offering his hand to the blonde, who was still sitting in bed. "Care to get up? It's a tad cramped in here, but we've made the caravan as dark as we can. As long as you stay inside, you should be fine."

Prompto nodded and took a hold of the chef's hand. With Ignis' help he managed to stand up. He spent a moment stretching the soreness out of his legs and then took a few steps forwards, before he froze.

Red eyes seemed out of focus for a moment, as if he were staring off into nothing, before Prompto proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach across the caravan floor.

The three acted a lot quicker this time than when the male had been burnt: Ignis was quick to grab a towel and start mopping up the mess. He knew Noct and Gladio could take care of Prompto, and in the meantime he wanted to make sure none of them got infected by.. whatever this was. He could see the lumps of his sandwich across the floor, but it was lying in a puddle of black sludge. Gladio silently noticed that it was similar to the black liquid Prompto had been bleeding when he was wounded, and wondered if this meant the boy was throwing up blood. That would be bad.

Noctis was quick to lead Prompto back to the bed, lying him down and helping him settle himself, Gladio hovering close by the two. A few seconds later and Prompto leant over the edge of the bed and threw up again, all over the Shield's shoes. The man grimaced with a mutter of 'gross' and was quick to leave the caravan to clean the mess off of his combat boots. At least they were already black, so he didn't have to worry about staining.

Ignis noticed with slight worry that whatever the blonde had thrown up did not smell like vomit, not at all. In fact it had a coppery smell to it, which only further enforced the worry that it really was blood. The advisor managed to clean up the first patch of black that had been expelled from Prompto's body and moved on to the second, thanking the Astrals that the floor was tile and not carpet. Oh, he didn't even want to think about how horrible that would be.

After a few minutes Ignis was done cleaning and Gladiolus returned with his shoes cleaned and a bucket in hand, the man handing it to Prompto. The blonde grasped and immediately proceeded to throw up in it, more black sludge splashing around in the rusted metal container. Ignis took a seat at Prompto's bedside, no longer concerned by the prospect of infection. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what was wrong with the blonde, and if he was correct then Prompto wasn't contagious.

"Okay Prompto, this isn't going to be fun to hear but.. I think your body is rejecting the daemon blood inside you. The Empire did put daemon blood in you, yes?"

Ignis' theory was confirmed as Prompto nodded, gripping onto the sides of the bucket, his pale hands shaking. "Y-yeah, they injected me with a load before they put us in the Airship. They said it would make me stronger, so I.. we could kill the enemies of the Empire.."

"Right. So you're like a vampire now?" All eyes were on Gladio as the Shield spoke, the man shifting uncomfortably for just a moment as he realised both Noctis and Ignis were glaring at him. Realising that comment may have been a little inappropriate he went quiet, deciding not to say anything else.

Noctis rubbed the blonde's back for a few moments hoping to comfort him, sending him a reassuring smile. "It's okay Prom, we won't judge you for stuff the Empire did to you. Not like you had any control over it, right?" Prompto offered a weak smile back and shook his head, before sighing.

"Thank you, all of you.. I don't even wanna think about what could have happened if you guys didn't find me."

Gladio decided to try and once again lighten the mood. He knew full well the male would likely have died if he'd gone out in the sun on his own, with nobody to cover him up Iike Ignis had. "I doubt you would have taken all your armour off in the first place if it wasn't for us. Although that stuff doesn't have mouth holes, does it? Nowhere for the puke to go if you chuck in there"

Prompto looked disgusted at the thought, face twisting as he imagined it. "Ew. Not a nice mental image big guy" It was Gladio's turn to glare at the Prince this time, Noctis laughing openly at Prom's nickname for his Shield.

Ignis stood up then. He was confident that Prompto would be okay. The male would just need rest and support while his body filtered out the daemon blood contaminating it, and then he'd be fine. "Noct, we're running low on fish and I'd like to cook something good tonight.. would you like to go fishing?"

To say Ignis was surprised when Noctis shook his head was an understatement to say the least; he was completely shocked. He'd known Noct since the Prince was but a baby, and not once in his life had he said no to an opportunity to fish. "You and Gladio can do it, right? You can borrow my rod if you want."

Even Gladiolus' eyebrows shot up at that one. Not only was Noctis rejecting the chance to fish, he was offering to let them use his fishing rod? The Prince had never let anyone so much as _touch_ that rod before, let alone asked them if they wanted to go off to Astrals knows where and fish with it.

Despite the rare opportunity Gladio shook his head: fishing was not the Shield's strong suit "Nah, if you don't wanna fish me and Iggy can go kill some Garula's or something. I'm in the mood for steak anyways. Fish is too.. fishy for my tastes right now."

"Great vocabulary, Gladio. Truly outstanding" Gladiolus jabbed Ignis in the ribs for the snide comment. He turned back to look at his Prince as Noct spoke, the male having perched himself on the edge Prompto's bed.

"Gladio, whilst you're out can I borrow your phone?"

The man shrugged at that, crossing his arms defensively. "Depends. Why do you want it?"

The Prince stretched out his arms before answering. When he bought his arms back down from his stretch one hand landed next to Prompto's on the bedsheets, and he gently nudged the others hand with his little finger. "I want to teach Prom how to play King's Knight, but we need two phones"

The Shield rolled his eyes at that, giving Noctis an incredulous look. "Seriously? You want me to go out monster hunting without a phone so you can play a stupid game? I could die."

"But you won't" Noctis said pointedly, a rare grin spreading onto his face as he caught the phone thrown none too carefully at his head. "And it's not stupid, you're just saying that because you're bad at it."

Instead of allowing his friend to rise to the bait Ignis instead ushered Gladiolus out of the caravan. The two set off to track down some Garulas and hopefully procure other ingredients whilst they were at it. They really were running low on food; the arrival of the rogue Magitek Trooper in their lives had been enough to distract them from everyday tasks for a few days. However with the prospect of being so low on supplies he'd be able to cook nothing but flame grilled toast and rice balls becoming an ever more likely future, Ignis decided that it was finally time to go and procure some proper ingredients.

"Wow, he already has the game downloaded on his phone and he still has the nerve to call it stupid.." Prompto watched as Noct opened up an app called 'King's Knight' on Gladiolus' phone. The blonde bit his lip nervously at the sudden look of mischief and frankly evil cunning that appeared on Noctis' face. Oh, he did not like that look, not at all. "What a shame that I'll have to delete his account to make room for yours~"

Soon enough the deed was done. Prompto had a rather strong hunch that Gladio was going to murder the both of them when he checked his King's Knight account next, although Noctis didn't seem all too worried. ' _He's my Shield_ ' he reminded the blonde, after Prompto expressed his concern ' _He can't kill me. It's illegal_ '

Those comforting words in mind Prompto soon found himself getting lost in the complicated talk of stats, upgrades, character summons and weapon elements. He hung onto the Prince's every word, listening intently. Soon enough Noct's retainers returned and night had fallen over Lucis, but the two ignored all of that.

Noctis and Prompto sat side by side on the bed well into the nighttime hours, faces illuminated by the glow of phone screens, moonlight flooding in where Ignis had opened the caravan's curtains. The stayed there, laughing and chatting without a care in the world.

Prompto wished they could stay like this forever. That he decided, eyes drifting absently up to the Prince as the male continued to talk, would be absolute perfection.

Notes: Fluffy Prompto and Noctis to warm our cold, dead hearts (: The actual Kings Knight app was pretty fun to play around with, I haven't gotten too deep into it yet though. Also, I have a tumblr! So if you're interested in occasional writing updates, even more occasional art, and mostly just me screaming about my love for the game (and Prompto) then please check that out

 **a href=" .com"here/a** Thanks!


	6. 6: Blue Sky

Chapter Six: Blue Sky

It was a week before Prompto finally begun throwing up less. It wasn't by all that much and he still puked up the tar-like black sludge, but he wasn't throwing up puddles of the stuff like he was before.

It was a relief to say the least; Ignis had secretly been growing concerned that the boy would never recover, that he'd just keep throwing up until he eventually died. However things were looking better now, and he was starting to truly believe that Prompto would recover after all.

Ignis was at this point certain that what the gunner was throwing up had indeed been blood. Prompto had confirmed that the Empire had injected daemon blood into him to give him a power up of sorts. With that information Ignis had come to the conclusion that all this vomiting was simply the blonde's body rejecting the unwanted monster blood. It was so different from human blood after all, and it made him wonder: how did the Empire expect anyone with all this corrupted blood in their veins to survive?

Maybe they didn't.

"Hey Prompto, how are you feeling today?"

Prompto opened his eyes as he felt the weight of the mattress dipping, the result of Noctis perching himself on the edge of the bunk bed. Prompto tried his best to sit up, although he only managed to prop himself up on shaky arms as he offered the Prince a weak smile. "I'm alright. Tired, I guess.. but alright"

Noctis nodded with a smile, relieved to hear that. His hands were in his lap as he fell quiet for a good few moments. Prompto didn't mind, too tired to feel awkward despite the long silence. Eventually Noct found cause to speak up, staring down at his lap as he did "We have to move back to the haven in two days. Someone's booked out the caravan, and Wiz can't turn them away"

Prompto was quiet before sighing, lying back down and sinking into the soft sheets of the bed, letting his eyes fall closed as he tried to block out the world for a second. He knew that if his skin wasn't so pale from the blood loss over the past few days his cheeks would be flushed red from the heat of oncoming tears.

"You, uh.. you're leaving me behind, right?"

He hated how thick his voice was, how clear it was that he was seconds away from crying. Prompto had been reminding himself this would happen, that the three would move on eventually and he'd be left alone again.

He knew it was inevitable. He would be a burden to these people; he'd hold back this impossibly strong warrior, the skilled and ever calculating advisor. The future King. These three were of a royal background. He was nothing compared to them, he knew that. But damn it, it still _hurt_.

Prompto was unexpectedly pulled out of his self loathing, taken by surprise as he was suddenly enveloped by warm -if a bit spindly- arms. Arms that pulled him close, and refused to let go. "Why would you say that!? We'd never leave you behind, Prom!"

Prompto shook his head. His mind, irrational due to self hate and tears, was telling him Noctis was lying. "B-but I'm not strong like Gladio or smart like Ignis! I don't have magic like you, I'm nothing compared to you guys! I'm just.. I'm normal without the daemon blood. I'll slow you down!"

Prompto could feel the heat that came with tears, eyes stinging as they spilt from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks. He was surprised as he felt the same heat -the slightly sticky wetness of tears-on his shoulder. Noctis hugged him tighter, burying his face in Prompto's shirt and soaking the soft cotton with tears.

"Don't say that. You're.. you're you. That makes you perfect Prom. You're perfect"

Prompto sniffled at that, unable to force any words from his mouth. He was just glad that Noctis didn't pull away from the hug to look at him. He knew he was a mess; face red and blotchy; eyes puffy from crying; skin slightly clammy from a vomiting induced fever which was rapidly fading.

After a few more minutes of both gunner and Prince crying, Prompto pulled back to wipe his eyes. He tried to steady his voice before he spoke, offering Noctis a watery smile.

"Hey, why are _you_ crying?" He teased, wanting to lighten the mood, sniffing again. He felt so much better now, finally letting a few of his major worries settle down. They weren't going to leave him, or send him away. He was safe.

"Huh. I guess.. I just don't like it when you're upset" Noctis said with a slight shrug, managing to regain his composure quicker than Prompto had. Conjuring a box of tissues with a burst of blue magic Noct wiped away his own unwanted tears before handing the box to Prompto, who quickly did the same.

After a few more seconds of eye wiping Noctis sent the box of tissues back into the Ether. Prompto offered the Prince a sheepish smile as he saw the wet patch he'd left on the shoulder of Noctis' shirt. "Sorry for crying on you like that. I just.. couldn't stop myself"

Noctis waved away his friend's apology, pulling out his phone. Prompto leant over his shoulder curiously, watching as with a few swipes and taps Noctis started up a round of King's Knight. "Nah, its fine. I haven't cried like that in ages. 'S probably good for me."

The two fell into a comfortable silence after that. Their tears were forgotten, Prompto's chin resting on Noctis' shoulder as he watched the other wipe out a group of digital Wyverns. Noctis had promised to get Prompto a phone soon so they could play the game together, and the blonde had been unable to bring himself to protest. It sounded like so much _fun_ , something he'd never been able to have back in Niflheim.

Prompto felt it suddenly; the horrible twisting and wrenching deep in his gut that warned him he had mere seconds left before he threw up everywhere. Prompto went to grab for his emergency puke bucket only to realise it wasn't by his side but by the foot of the bed, out of his reach. He couldn't just throw up though, he knew that; he'd make a mess of either Noctis or the bed, or possibly both, and he couldn't let that happen.

So Prompto did the only thing he could think of: he jumped up from his seat on the bed, ran to the window and -actions driven by pure instinct with no thought process or logic involved- ripped back the curtain. Prompto stuck his head out the thankfully open window, and proceeded to throw up.

Noctis was by his side as soon as he realised what was going on, rubbing Prompto's back soothingly and murmuring comforting words. A minute later and the small globs of black muck had made their way out of Prompto's body and onto the gravelly floor outside, but Noct seemed to have just remembered something important. Prompto heard a startled noise of panic and felt the Prince's hands grab him, yanking him away from the window with a sudden urgency.

Prompto stayed rooted to the spot as Noctis' electric blue eyes flitted over his face and then his body. It was clear he was searching for something, but Prompto had no idea what. Too confused and shocked to speak Prompto stayed quiet until Noctis finally spoke up, his words holding a certain hesitancy that suggested he hardly believed what he was saying.

"Prompto, I... you're not bunt. The sun, it.. it didn't burn you."

Prompto's red eyes widened in surprise at the statement, and he raised his hand to feel the skin of his face. Prompto gingerly pressed his fingers to his cheek, expecting to find burns there despite the lack of pain. When his hand met nothing but smooth, unmarred skin he allowed it to fall back down beside him, limp.

Both Prompto and Noctis were silent for a good few seconds as they processed the meaning of those words, the implications. Then a grin slowly spread onto Noctis' face as he wrapped his head around the new development.

"Prompto.. _the sun didn't burn you_. You can go outside!"

Going into the sun after a lifetime in darkness was odd, but Prompto certainly didn't have a problem with it. In fact, he soon discovered that he loved the outside; the warmth of the sun on his skin was truly a wonderful feeling.

Noctis and Prompto were relaxing at Pullmoor Haven, by the Neeglyss Pond. The group had left the Wiz Chocobo Outpost two days ago, and after a half day journey had been camping at the Haven since then.

Gladio and Ignis were off delivering some turnips to a farmer in need, but once they got back from their little quest the four would set off on their first hunt together. Prompto was nervous to be fighting alongside such experienced, talented warriors, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't also excited.

Fighting was what he'd been born to do after all. Even if he didn't have magic like Noct or muscles the size of behemoth, Prompto could still fight. Not having a weapon was a disadvantage, he supposed, but he'd just gave to go without. He'd lost his standard issue fire-arm many days ago, but he could understand why none of his three companions had suggested getting him a replacement.

He was still the enemy, after all.

The group was busy building up a good reserve of Gil through odd jobs, and decided that after undertaking a few hunts they'd have enough saved up for the long journey to Hammerhead. It would be around three days travel, and running out of funds on the road was not something they wanted to risk.

"Is the sky always this blue?" Prompto asked, amazement painting his face as he stared up at the vast expanse of blue above him. Noctis rolled over from where he'd also been staring up at the sky, eyes on his friend.

"Yep. It's always this blue, especially out here in the middle of nowhere." Prompto nodded at that. The two were lying on some boulders surrounding the Haven, absorbing the heat provided by the summer sun. Prompto was staring up at the sky, unable to take his eyes off of it.

"Hm. It's so pretty" Noctis gave an unseen nod in respond to Prompto's absent murmur, silently agreeing. He'd never really taken the time to appreciate it before, but the sky really was beautiful. Just like a certain blonde he couldn't bring himself to look away from. No matter how wonderful the sky apparently looked, Prompto was prettier.

"Heya, big guy! Did you deliver those turnips?"

Prompto's shout rang out across the rolling fields as he spotted Ignis and Gladiolus approaching, the blonde standing on a boulder and waving. He saw Gladio nod from across the clearing and grinned, glad the two retainers had successfully completed their mission.

Prompto hopped down from the boulder. His legs bent on impact to absorb the force of the fall with all the agility and resilience that he'd developed over his years of training to fight for the Empire. Prompto pouted as Noct warped down from the rocks. Noct's Ultima blade hit the ground and in a flash of blue the Prince appeared next to it.

"How come you get to warp and I don't? So unfair" A dramatic sigh followed Prompto's words as Ignis and Gladiolus finally reached them, Gladio collapsing on the ground with a sigh. Ignis took a more dignified seat on one of the smaller boulders, adjusting his glasses and wiping his forehead with the back of a gloved hand.

"What a treck.. Noct, im afraid you'll have to give Gladio and I a few moments before we set off on the hunt. We're exhausted."

The Prince eagerly nodded in agreement at his advisor's words, happy to have more downtime. Prompto sat on Gladiolus' chest, the man sprawled out across the ground. Gladio grunted in response at the slight weight but didn't protest, far too exhausted.

"So. What actually is a hunt? I'm still not sure."

Ignis raised an eyebrow at Prompto's question but dutifully explained. As he did he pulled out a recipe book and flicked through it until he found the page he'd left off at, taking this rare opportunity to relax and read. "It's where we track down and eliminate dangerous creatures in the wilds, and then we get payed for it. It can be dangerous but it's a wonderful source of income."

"Sounds like fun!" Prompto was far too excited to go on a hunt with his new friends to care about the fact it may be dangerous. Noctis chuckled at the bubbly blonde's reaction, glad to notice that Prompto appeared far more energised now: he'd been weak at first from his constant vomiting, but the blonde hadn't thrown up since he'd stepped outside for the first time. It seemed as though the vitamin D was working wonders for him.

"Yeah, it will be fun. We're gonna have to stop back at Wiz's Outpost first though, stock up on some stuff." Prompto nodded in acceptance at the slight alteration of plans, still seated on Gladio's chest. Prompto didn't mind the detour in the slightest, looking forwards to seeing the outpost again.

He hadn't seen Wiz since the man had visited him in the caravan one evening. Prompto had been half unconscious and barely remembered the encounter, but Noctis was adamant that Prompto had shot a constant stream of apologies at Wiz the whole time the man was there. Prompto didn't remember it, but Noctis was insistent that it had happened.

He was looking forwards to going back and apologising properly for all the trouble he'd caused the man: when they'd first left the outpost for the haven they'd gone quietly, not wanting to disturb Wiz. He'd been busy greeting guests, and Ignis had decided they'd already bothered him enough. They'd left the Regalia behind too. Pullmoor Haven was quite far from any roads, and Ignis had said it would be irresponsible to leave the car by the roadside for more than a few hours.

While Prompto was eager to apologise to Wiz, he was also just as excited to see the giant, fluffy birds that the man kept in the outpost. Noct had explained they were called Chocobos and that they were for riding around to get to places quickly.

Prompto hadn't really cared for the practical purpose of the creatures, even if he'd thrown himself in front of a sabertusk to save a Chocobo all those days ago. He just really wanted to pet one. He'd been too nervous to do so the first time he'd been approached by one, but now he knew they weren't dangerous he wanted nothing more than to give one of the giant birds a hug. He wanted to run his hands through those soft-looking feathers, and never let go.

Notes: Fun fact: there wasn't supposed to be this much Promptis, but apparently it's happening and there's nothing I can do about it. Prompto's being such a cutie!

＾ν＾


	7. 7: Calamity

Chapter Seven: Calamity

"Noct! Look how fluffy it is!" Noctis watched in amusement as Prompto threw himself at one of the many Chocobos in the stable, where they were hidden away from the elements. When Wiz had agreed to let them go inside the stable and pet the giant birds Prompto had been ecstatic. Now they were here and the Prompto was throwing himself at the feathered creatures without a care in the world, clearly enjoying himself.

Noctis ran a gentle hand through soft, yellow feathers, offering his bird a soft smile. His actions were more refined than Prompto's thrilled hugging; the male had his arms wrapped tight around a fluffy Chocobo neck, face buried in feathers. The bird in question was sat on the floor and Prompto was sprawled out next to it, leaning on the Chocobo. It didn't seem to mind.

Gladiolus was sitting in the corner of the pen. The Shield was overwhelmed by the exuberant affection he was receiving from five extra-fluffy Chocobo chicks. The baby Chocobos were 'Kweh'ing excitedly at Gladio as they jumped all over him, the man watching them with a goofy smile on his face. Even Ignis was partaking in the fun, standing to the side and rubbing the head of a bright pink Chocobo. The bird squawked appreciatively, and Ignis couldn't help the smile that made its way to his face at the noise.

By the time the four finally left the Chocobo stable Ignis was insisting that they needed to get a move on, as they were two and a half hours behind schedule. Even Noctis agreed that they'd spent a little too long petting and feeding the birds, but he didn't regret staying. They'd stayed such a long time because Prompto had ended up falling asleep. He'd been pressed up against fluffy feathers, the bird next to him also resting, allowing the blonde to nuzzle against it.

Even after they'd spent an hour more than planned in the pen, nobody had been willing to wake up the blonde when he'd been so happily asleep. Another hour and a half had passed until Prompto finally woke up and they made their leave.

They were milling around the outpost now, preparing for the hunt and the long journey to Hammerhead which would follow it. Prompto had thanked Wiz for his kindness as soon as they'd arrived at the Wiz Chocobo Outpost, and he'd been a blushing mess while at it. The kindly man had laughed it all off, assuring him it had been no trouble at all and that he was honoured to be of assistance to a friend of the future King.

Prompto had tried his best to hide just how giddy with happiness those words had made him. _Friend_. He was Noctis' _friend_.

Ignis was currently busy restocking on ingredients and minor curatives at the outpost's mini-mart, making sure the group were properly equipped for the journey that awaited them. Gladiolus was checking out the wares of the weaponry merchant, his van full of dangerous toys parked at the edges of the outpost.

Noctis and Prompto were sat on a bench, waiting for the Prince's retainers to finish up their shopping. The arms vendor had just about finished convincing Gladio to buy the Blade of Brennaere, a powerful great sword imbued with fire. Ignis had been looking to buy a new pole-arm, but had decided that the new sword for Gladiolus was a priority, especially when they were trying to save money.

"So Prom.. you looking forwards to the hunt?"

"Yeah! It'll be cool to fight something with you guys" Prompto responded to Noctis' question with the usual bright smile on his face, masking any worries he may have had. As far as Noctis could tell though, the blonde genuinely was looking forwards to the hunt. That was nice.

Noctis still remembered his first hunt. He'd been on a rare excursion outside of Insomnia with Cor, on a training exercise. He'd been thirteen at the time and Gladio had gone with them: the Shield had insisted that whenever Noctis left the Crown City he would accompany him. The man had certainly kept to his word. Cor had protested, saying that Gladio wasn't needed for some basic training exercises, but he eventually caved and let him tag along.

They'd been out of the crown city for three days and Noctis had honestly had the time of his life. After a days worth of boring drills that he'd already mastered in his extra training sessions with Gladiolus they'd gone to a diner to get something to eat. Noctis had somehow convinced Cor to let them take on a hunt. Only the Astrals knew how he'd convinced the Marshal to agree to such a thing, but he had, and without further ado they'd embarked on their job.

Noctis had been worried that Cor would breathe down his neck the whole time and Gladio would be smotheringly over-protective, but they hadn't been: they'd trusted him, trusted that he could handle himself, and that trust had paid off. They'd taken down the bounty in record time, and with a day and a half left before they were due to return to the crown city they'd accepted another hunt. Then another, and another, until it was finally time to go home.

It had been expected when Ignis had practically thrown a fit when he'd found out what Noctis had been up to, and had lectured Gladio for hours on responsibility. King Regis hadn't taken the news any better than Ignis had;1 Noctis was pretty certain the man had been ready to behead Cor when he found out. His father never seemed to quite get over it, either. In fact, Noct remembered the King's threatening words of well contained fury when Cor made an offhand joke about Noctis being a 'master hunter' several months after they'd returned: 'if you keep reminding me of the danger you put my son in, we might have to see just how _immortal_ you really are, Cor.'

Had he been yelled at until he'd been convinced his ears would fall off? Sure. Had it been worth it? Noctis certainly thought so.

"So, if you're going to be killing monsters you're going to need a weapon. You shoot, right?"

Prompto nodded in response, fighting down the worry building inside him at the prospect of holding a gun again. It wasn't that he had any problem with it, but he was sure Gladio or Ignis would be concerned. Noctis was trusting, far too trusting for a Prince being hunted by the Empire, but his two retainers were more wary and suspicious. They'd been nice to him so far sure, but Prompto doubted they wanted him waving a gun around.

He was still a Magitek Trooper, after all.

"Well yeah, but I'm sure I can find an alternative. Maybe there's a knife lying around somewhere or something?"

Noctis shook his head at that, a smile pulling at the edges of his lips. "Oh come on, there's no need for that. You were trained for guns, right? I bet you'd be useless with anything else."

Prompto's grumbles about how he had 'basic training in every weapon type' came to a stop as Noctis pulled a gun out of his bag. It was clearly new, and Prompto's brain made the connection between the weapon in the Prince's hands and the gun that had been hung up on the door of the weapon trader's van. If he remembered correctly -and he did- it was called 'Calamity', and cost over half their total savings.

"Noct.." Prompto didn't realise he was tearing up until his voice broke, Noctis placing the brand new weapon in Prompto's hands. The blonde scrubbed at his eyes with his free hand, trying to hold back the warmth of tears. Happy tears.

The action didn't go unnoticed by Noctis, who was immediately fussing over the blonde; he pulled a box of tissues from the ether and thrust it into Prompto's lap. He quickly wiped his eyes, careful not to drop the gun. That'd just be careless. He'd treasure this gift forever.

"Hey now, don't cry. Do you not like it? We can always get a different one from another outpost if you want."

Prompto shook his head quickly at the Prince's suggestion, watery red eyes staring up at Noct. "No, no! I love it! It's just.. I've never been given a gift this big before, or.. or had anything of my own, really..."

The blonde didn't have to say anything more than that for Noctis to pull the boy into a tight hug, Prompto allowing his head to rest in the crook of the Prince's shoulder. He held back his tears, not wanting to get the others shirt wet again. Ignis hadn't been too impressed at the salty, crusted fabric he'd been given to wash the last time Prompto had cried on Noctis' shoulder.

After a good few minutes of hugging the gunner finally allowed himself to voice his doubts, chin now resting on Noctis' shoulder. It made it a little awkward to talk, and he was sure it couldn't be all that comfortable for the Prince either, but he didn't want to pull away. Not just yet.

"Are Iggy and Gladio okay with you giving me this? Surely they're worried I might.. you know..."

"What? Kill me?" It was Noctis who pulled back then, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. Prompto squirmed just a little under Noctis' incredulous gaze; the Prince was looking at him as if he'd just asked the stupidest question in the world, but he reminded himself that it was a perfectly reasonably doubt. While the two retainers had been nothing but nice, he was a...a _product_ of the Empire. The enemy. They had every reason to distrust him.

Prompto gave a sheepish nod at Noctis' question, the gun suddenly feeling heavy in his hands. This weapon, this device of human ingenuity, could so very easily be used to kill the Prince and his comrades. They were human beings, flesh and bone: if he hit the right spots -and he knew exactly where those spots were- they'd be dead in seconds. But just because he _could_ didn't mean he _would_ : he didn't have any desire to harm the Prince, nor his retainers. His _friends_.

"Astrals Prom, you're ridiculous." It was Prompto's turn to raise an eyebrow this time, the blonde resisting the urge to pout at Noct's claim. Noctis soon elaborated, brushing a few strands of blonde hair away from Prompto's face.

"Oh come on, Iggy's cooked for you, of course he trusts you! Gladio was a little hesitant to let you have a weapon at first sure, but honestly Prom... If you were really going to try and kill me, then you wouldn't be sitting here alive right now."

Prompto felt a small shudder run up his spine at the hint of a threat hidden behind words spoken so very sweetly. With that subtle warning Noctis leant forwards and brushed a kiss against Prompto's forehead, before he stood up and left without another word, leaving a somewhat shell shocked blonde sitting on the bench.

Well there was one thing Prompto knew for certain now: messing with Noctis Lucis Caelum was a very dangerous idea indeed. It was a good job he had no intentions of doing so.

 _ **Notes**_ : Hello there! （＾ω＾） I decided that with his father alive and future kingdom intact -and no weddings to worry about- Noct is less of an emotional wreck and more in control, of both himself and the people around him. He's had the time to prepare for his future role as King, without having to worry about all that saving the world business (Dom!Noct is my life, sorry not sorry)


	8. 8: Voices

Chapter Eight: Voices

"Prompto! Shoot it, now!" It took only a second for Prompto to react to the yelled order; the crack of a gunshot rang through the forest as Prompto shot with scary accuracy, locked on to his target. The speeding bullet hit the Mindflayer right where the brain _should_ have been, however the daemon seemed unaffected, even if it thrashed its tentacles particularly hard for a few moments.

Despite the lack of a decent reaction to his shot, Prompto wasn't about to give up. He had been trained to kill people, not monsters; he knew the vital points of the human body, how to kill someone instantly. Monsters however were proving to be different: they had strange anatomy, weaknesses and strengths unique to every species. They were new, they were exciting and Prompto loved it.

The blonde ducked on instinct as Gladiolus came flying out of nowhere, jumping in with a broad swing of his new greatsword. It cut right through one of the daemons, that had been weakened by a barrage of shots from Prompto's gun. The creature went down in a swirl of the sword's enchanted flames. The two remaining Mindflayers didn't have the capacity to grieve over the slaughter of their fellow daemon, continuing their relentless attacks as though nothing had changed.

Deciding it was time to try and bring this fight to an end, Prompto loaded one of the flare bullets into his gun. Noctis had given him six as they drove towards the hunt location. The prince had explained that he, Ignis and Gladio had found the bullets lying around here and there but had never had any use for them. Things were different now, though: they had a skilled marksman on their team and Prompto certainly knew how to make use of these bullets.

Deft hands loaded the bullets into the gun with precise, efficient actions. In less than twenty seconds the flare was ready and Prompto shielded his eyes as he fired. He could feel the heat from the shining projectile as it stuck in the sky, casting its light across the battlefield. The daemons writhed and shied away from the blinding lights. An awful cacophony of screeching sounded from the Mindflayers, the daemons weakened by the light. Both Gladio and Noctis took full advantage of the opportunity, the two barraging one of the Mindflayers with a relentless stream of heavy hitting, unforgiving attacks, hoping to take it down before the flare faded out.

Prompto begun to take a few steps back from the heat of battle, wanting to keep his distance as any gunner should in a fight like this. He'd had to get in close to set off the flare with maximum weakening effect on the Mindflayers, but that close proximity to the daemons proved to be a mistake; Prompto let out a shout as he felt a single, slimy tentacle wrap firm around his ankle, and within seconds he was pulled into the Mindflayer's grasp.

Prompto squirmed and tried to pull away but to no avail. He was unable to do anything but yell for help as he felt more purple tentacles, dripping with viscous slime, wrapping tight around his waist. They were squeezing, crushing, Prompto gasping for air as he felt as though his ribs were going to snap.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Prompto fell to his knees, gasping in much needed lungfuls of air. Above him, Ignis had speared the Mindflayer right through the head with his polearm. The creature had been unable to dodge with its usual speed due to its grip on the blonde, and had been impaled. The daemon shrieked in pain, tentacles whipping out faster than anyone could react to. Ignis received a long but thankfully shallow cut up his forearm from the sharp side of the tendril, a parting memento from the dying Mindflayer. The daemon dissolved into a puddle of black goop, Ignis somewhat gingerly retrieving his spear from the mess.

Noctis and Gladio had successfully taken down the final Mindflayer with their relentless attacks, the creature melting to sludge. Prompto felt an irrepressible shudder run through him at the sudden quiet of the darkened forest, a chill sweeping over his body as the adrenaline of battle faded away.

All attention was on the injured Ignis, Noctis whipping out a potion and pouring it over the cut. The skin hissed and bubbled for a few moments as if it were fusing together like it should, but when the bubbles faded and the skin returned to its normal state, the cut remained.

"Mindflayer venom" Ignis explained, and Prompto noted with concern that the man seemed a little breathless. "It can't be treated by potions, antidotes or even ethers."

Noctis shook his head, cool blue eyes gazing up at his advisor. "Stop talking like you're not affected by it. You're sweating."

Ignis met his Prince's cool gaze with one of his own, the man crossing his arms across his chest. That in itself was odd: Ignis was usually so composed, Prompto had never seen him looking so... so _vulnerable_ before. "That's perfectly reasonable, we just fought a tough battle and-"

"-Iggy, you never usually sweat after fights. Not this much, anyways" The advisor fell silent as Gladio cut him off, and the lack of further argument proved that Ignis really was under the influence of the venom. "Exactly. Don't be so quick to disregard your own injuries next time."

Ignis once again chose to remain silent at the Shield's chastising, and without further ado they began walking. Noct let them know where they were going after a few minutes of trudging over forest ground, the Prince leading the way. "There's a Haven near here, we'll camp there. The Regalia's more than four hours away, but the camp is only two"

Nobody argued with that, knowing that getting Ignis somewhere safe was worth the discomfort that came with camping. They walked in relative silence on the way there, all stewing over there fact that they'd allowed one of their own to get hurt. Prompto was silently tearing himself apart the whole time. Because Ignis had been hurt, and it was all his fault.

Maybe they'd be right not to trust him after all.

It was a quiet morning, or as quiet as it could be out in the wilds of Lucis. The group were camped at the Pullmoor Haven, in Duscae. I'm summary: they were in the middle of nowhere, with no civilisation in sight.

Every so often the howl of a varetooth echoed through the dense forests, coupled by grunts of nearby Garula. The monsters never strayed too close to the campsite though, unable and unwilling to scale the steep, winding path up the edges of the Haven.

The relative silence of the forest was not one that Prompto appreciated. It left him to the noise of his own thoughts: the intrusive, self loathing whispers that wouldn't let him rest. They wouldn't stop reminded him that it was all his fault, that he was the reason Ignis was hurt. If he wasn't so weak, so stupid, Ignis wouldn't be suffering. If he hadn't been selfish enough to think that he was strong, that he could actually put up a fight against the daemons.. if he hadn't been cocky enough to get in close and shoot that flare, he would never have been caught, and Ignis wouldn't have had to rescue him.

Astrals, why was he so _stupid_?

Prompto grit his teeth as he heard another pained moan from the tent. Ignis, as the man finally woke up from his night long venom induced sleep. It was followed by hushed whispers from Noctis and Gladio. The two were vigilantly looking after their friend, helping him wake up and recover.

Prompto listened carefully to their hushed conversation, feeling the tightness in his chest lessen a little as Ignis said he was fine. He sounded like it was true this time, at least; the advisor's voice was full of its usual strength and subtle confidence.

That still didn't make the voices stop.

' _He wouldn't have been hurt in the first place if it weren't for you_.' Prompto shook his head as if it would make the thoughts disappear, but they only grew harsher in their words ' _Stop trying to deny it_. _You're a burden. You're a danger_.' the voices told him, and he found himself believing them.

' _You should leave_ ' they insisted. He agreed with their words, swinging his legs over the sides of the Haven. He jumped down, easily absorbing the impact on the hard packed earth under his feet. He started to walk, eyes ahead, not looking back. He wouldn't be missed, right? He was just a Magitek Trooper. Just an MT...

When Prompto left the camp, nobody noticed his disappearance. Ignis was just waking up. He was fully recovered but all attention was on him, making sure he was okay. Nobody noticed the missing blonde, didn't know of the danger that Prompto was obliviously walking into. Not until they heard his screams.


	9. 9: A Man Of No Consequence

Chapter Nine: A Man Of No Consequence

"Hey Iggy, how're you feeling?" The question came from Noctis, both he and Gladio sitting beside Ignis. Noct kept his eyes on his advisor as the man sat up in his sleeping bag, looking a lot better than he had last night.

"I'm fine, Highness. No need to worry" The Prince was relived to hear Ignis sounding back to his old self again. He and Gladio had been shaken more than they'd like to admit by Ignis getting injured. The chef was always the one with perfect composure, looking after them if they got sick or injured. This time it had been the other way around, and Noct especially had found it hard to handle.

He vowed to himself that he'd never let any of his friends get hurt again, even if he knew that was a stupid promise to make. With the kind of life they'd be living for the next few months, exploring Lucis, fighting monsters.. injuries were inevitable.

Nonetheless, the vow made him feel a little better. For now, at least.

"Here you go Iggy. Food." The cook wrinkled his nose in distaste as he was handed steaming noodles in a plastic cup by Gladio. He took the offering gingerly, peering down into the cup for a moment before thrusting it back to the Shield.

"I'm not desperate enough to eat this powdered rubbish" The Prince let a small chuckle sound at Ignis' curt words; the chef was certainly back to his old self, there was no doubt about it. Noctis rubbed his Shield's back comfortingly, Gladiolus looking hurt by Ignis' quick dismissal of his favourite meal.

"Come on Iggy, don't be so harsh, you might make Gladio cry~" Noctis wasn't surprised as the Shield shoved him away, although a playful grin was on Gladio's facd the whole time.

"I'm not about to cry over some damn noodles, Princess. I can eat them myself" Gladio did just that, picking up the pot that Ignis had rejected and beginning to eat despite the fact that he'd already eaten breakfast. It had been nowhere near as good as Ignis' gourmet cooking, but Noct had made them all food while they were waiting for their chef to wake up.

The three remained in the tent for about half an hour. Noctis was doting over Ignis, who continuously insisted that he was fine and really didn't need any help. The Prince only let up once Ignis agreed to drinking a small bottle of elixir, which helped to assure Noctis that his advisor really was alright.

The screams came out of nowhere. They were loud and raw, the sounds of someone truly terrified and more importantly in pain. Noctis bolted up from where he sat, eyes wild as his mind frantically yelled a sudden realisation at him: Prompto. They'd forgotten about Prompto.

Ignis was out of his sleeping bag in seconds, the last of Gladiolus' pot noodles kicked to the floor as the three charged out of the tent. After a few seconds of mad rushing they discerned that Prompto was not in the haven and quickly left the campsite, running towards the pained screams as they started up again, not stopping this time.

Noctis felt his heart clench in his chest when he picked out the sound of his name between the garbled wails of agony. He grit his teeth and started warping, not caring that he was leaving Gladio and Ignis behind.

When Prompto finally came into sight Noctis felt a rush of blind fury wash over him, the Prince immediately launching into furious combat, trying to eradicate all present threats as quickly as possible.

He was trying his best to ignore just how much blood there was.

Ignis and Gladio arrived just as Noctis' great-sword made impact with the head of the last Varetooth left, polished blade slicing it clean off. Noctis had been a blur of motion, darting from enemy to enemy and dispatching them in as little time as he could. In one final flash of blue he was knelt by Prompto's side, sword vanishing as he pulled a random armful of healing items from the ether, dumping the curatives on the ground.

He poured potion after potion over Prompto, Ignis joining in with elixirs. Gladio kept watch, making sure no more monsters tried to attack his friends whilst they were so intently focused on the healing. Prompto's chest was a bubbling mess of potion and blood, his clothes sticky with red. His breathing was coming in desperate gasps, chest rattling as he tried not to choke on his own blood. Blood continued to flow from the mess of gashes and deep gouges covering Prompto's small body; the boy was growing paler by the second. He was shaking like a leaf despite the blistering heat of the summer sun, one pale hand gripping onto his gun for dear life.

Gladio could understand why such a weapon wouldn't be all too effective against monsters such as the varetooth: he could easily imagine the blonde getting overwhelmed by the pack animals, who would have seen him as a rather tasty looking meal. It had been foolish for Prompto to run off alone like he had, although Gladio reminded himself that the gunner knew nothing of the outside world. He'd wandered off unaware of the dangers that had awaited him. This was the price he'd been forced to pay.

After a solid fifteen minutes of drenching the boy with potions, Ignis finally decided it was safe to move him. Prompto had fallen into blissful unconsciousness but he was still as white as a sheet. His clothes were soaked through with blood and quickly evaporating curatives. Even the ethers hadn't been enough to heal Prompto's wounds: the nasty gashes remained, deep slices in his chest. They'd only been able to slow the bleeding.

"Thank the Astrals the hospital is close. Let's get moving, Gladio" With a silent nod the Shield scooped Prompto up in his arms and they started running again, heading towards the nearby Coernix Station. All stations and outposts were required by regulation to have a small hospital, for emergency situations just like this one. Noctis prayed they'd be able to treat Prompto's wounds. If not, there was no hope; the Prince wasn't foolish enough to hope Prompto could survive these kind of injuries without treatment. No-one could.

Noctis felt relief as well as nagging concern shoot through him as the hospital finally came into view. What if they couldn't make Prompto better? What if his injuries were so severe they couldn't be healed? The hospital was small, they might not have the proper equipment... Noctis shoved those thoughts aside, throwing the hospital doors open for Gladio. The man made a beeline for the front desk, completely ignoring the existence of the waiting room. This was an emergency.

The nurse at the front desk certainly seemed to think so, too. Abandoning her post completely she guided Gladio to a hospital bed on wheels, shouting panicked instructions to the doctors and nurses she passed. "Clarice, disinfectant! Marice, we need anaesthetic for him! Johnathon! Go get Albert from his lunch break, this is an emergency!"

Gladio placed Prompto down on the bed as gently as he could. In the sudden cool of the hospital the blonde started to stir, hazy red eyes half open as his fingers twitched. Taking advantage of Prompto's coherence Noctis carefully pried Calamity from the blonde's hand, ignoring the gunner's weak moans of protest. The Prince had tried to get the gun off of Prompto when the male had first passed out, but it had proved impossible with how tightly he'd been gripping onto the weapon.

As Prompto begun groaning and squirming in distress Noctis tried to comfort him. He ran a hand through soft strands of hair, which seemed to calm Prompto down a little.

Two nurses rushed over and begun to push the hospital bed down the hallway. Most of the waiting patients were looking their way by now, wondering what the sudden urgency was for. The royal entourage kept pace beside the cart, Ignis quick to inform these doctors of an important little detail. "He's a Magitek Trooper, from Niflheim. We have no idea how he works inside, or how drugs affect his system."

To their credit, the nurses handled the rather shocking news in a professional manner. One pulled out the walkie-talkie she had strapped to her side, speaking a few urgent commands into it before clipping it back to her belt and continuing to push the trolley.

Two hurried scans and an X-ray later and the doctors were wheeling Prompto towards the operating theatre. The blonde had woken up a little more while they were in the hospital. Noctis and his retainers stayed by his side the whole time, trying their best to comfort him. The doctors said Prompto was in a somewhat stable condition but needed immediate surgery if he was to survive the night.

The matter of who the surgeon operating on Prompto was proved to be an interesting one.

They only met him briefly. A tied back mess of wavy red-violet hair clashed with the blue of his surgeon scrubs. Noctis felt uneasy as the man's amber eyes seemed to look right through him, as though were staring into his soul.

Noctis knew it was silly -they'd only just met this man after all- but something about him chilled the Prince to the bone. The surgeon locked eyes with him for a few seconds more before he looked away, the momentary tension between them vanishing as he did.

"So, he's a human Magitek Trooper? A product of Niflheim?" Ignis looked uncomfortable with the surgeon's choice of words but nonetheless nodded in response to the questions, which had been spoken in a voice as soft as silk. The surgeon hummed to himself, leaning over the trolley to look down at Prompto. The blonde had forced his eyes open again as he'd heard the man's voice, Noctis squeezing his hand gently as he noticed he was awake.

Prompto squeezed back hard, and he didn't return the Prince's smile. Instead he stared up at him, eyes urgent and panicked behind the haze of pain. Noctis didn't notice the desperate look, hushing Prompto as the male tried to speak. Weak, half formed mumbles came out, the blonde unable to force his mouth to form words.

"Shh, don't try to speak. This man is going to make you all better, okay?"

Prompto shook his head at that, and Noct's eyes moved up to the surgeon as the man laughed. Noctis grit his teeth and tried to push down his urge to snap at the surgeon. The man's large hand reached down and combed itself through blonde hair speckled with blood, Prompto flinching away with a glare up at the redhead. A moment later and he managed to get words out of his mouth, despite the pain it caused him. "Nu-No.. n-not him.." he muttered, shaking his head again.

Instead of seeming perturbed, the surgeon only laughed again, a fond smile on his face. Noctis though the man had a slight sinister look to his eyes, but didn't dwell on it "Such a feisty one... Let's clam you down a bit, hm?"

Noctis really wasn't comfortable watching the surgeon manhandle his friend, especially when Prompto seemed so adverse to it. But he knew he just had to let the man get on with his job: Prompto was injured, he couldn't be thinking right. This man was a professional... there was nothing to be worried about. He knew what he was doing.

The surgeon pulled out a packet from the pockets of his medical scrubs, ripping it open and pulling out a syringe. Waiting no time he bought out a bottle, filling up the syringe and quickly poking it into Prompto. The blonde's eyes widened, and he squirmed wildly for a few moments before slumping, unmoving, eyes closed.

"I'll be taking him in now" said the red haired man, another unsettling smile on his face. He looked over the three as if daring one of them to object. They didn't, certain that this surgeon would make Prompto better. He had to.

If he couldn't, no one could.

The damage had been worse than they could have ever imagined. The mess of blood and claw marks covering Prompto's chest had been bad enough sure, but apparently the damage had run even deeper than that.

Prompto had been dying.

He'd been bleeding, internally. He'd been throwing up daemon blood because his body had rejected it, but apparently he'd been throwing up regular blood too. They hadn't seen it, the red masked by the black sludge his body had been expelling, but it had been there. The doctors said they were lucky they'd brought Prompto to hospital when they had: he wouldn't have survived much longer without the proper treatment. He would have lasted a few days at the most, then his heart would have grown unstable and he'd have had a heart attack. Either that, or his lungs would have flooded with blood. Possibly both.

They'd tried to explain the complicated surgical procedures to the three, although only Ignis had really understood it. Prompto had been bleeding around the heart and lungs, so they'd had to perform a procedure called Thoracotomy. It sounded like a made up word to Noctis, but apparently it meant that they'd made an incision along the ribcage, and had then taken measures to protect the heart and lungs from pressure caused by the bleeding.

Noctis didn't understand it, but it had worked. That was all that really mattered to him. Nobody was exactly sure what had caused the internal bleeding in the first place. One of the surgeons had said he was practically certain it was an after effect of some sort of physical trauma that Prompto had likely endured during his time in Niflheim. The Prince wasn't sure how the surgeon could be so certain of such things but decided to take his word for it. The man had just saved their friend's life, after all.

The surgery had finished an hour ago but Noctis and his retainers had only just been allowed to enter Prompto's room. Gladio was stood to the side, leaning against the wall. Ignis and Noctis were both sitting at the blonde's bedside, watching over him. Prompto was still fast asleep, although they'd been assured the sedatives would wear off soon.

The surgeon was in the room with them, standing by the doorway. He'd changed out of his surgeon garbs, now wearing an oversized coat and a multitude of red scarves. The large clothes made him look like a giant, and Noctis would be lying if he said he wasn't at least slightly intimidated by the man's imposing stature and unsettling demeanour.

"So, um.. he's going to be okay, right?"

The surgeon nodded at that, and Noctis let out a sigh of relief. He felt some of the pressure and tension ease off at the assurance. Prompto was going to be okay. There was nothing to worry about.

"Of course. Although, you may have to keep him out of the sun for a little while lest he be burnt. I injected a little daemon blood into him, if he goes outside he might just shrivel up. Did you know? Daemon blood burns in the sun, but it has strengthening properties. Fascinating stuff."

A curt nod from Ignis was the only reply the man seemed to need before he started talking again, words accompanied by many hand gestures. Noctis wondered how the surgeon had even gotten his hands on daemon blood to inject into Prompto. He didn't ask, no matter how much he wanted to: this man had saved Prompto's life, they shouldn't bother him with prying questions. They owed him, no matter how much the Prince hated owing people.

"He still works just as I remember, so the surgery was no trouble." At the questioning looks he received from Noct and his retainers the man laughed, realising they had no idea what he was talking about "Oh, I used to be with the Empire, you see. I worked with the Magitek Troopers. Your friend was a little different from the rest, but products are essentially designed to be the same."

Noctis had to stop himself from glaring, not at all liking the man's words. He reminded himself that he shouldn't try and correct him: Prompto most certainly was _not_ a product, but this mysterious surgeon had still saved the blonde's life. He had to be nice.

"Well I'll be off, there's no need for me to linger" said the man, turning to the door with a swish of his large coat. Noctis jumped up from his seat in a sudden rush of urgency. The surgeon turned, raising an eyebrow in silent question at the Prince's unexpected actions.

Noctis felt a slight blush heat his face in embarrassment over his impulsive movements, but spoke nonetheless, asking the question that had sprung to mind when the surgeon had said he was leaving.

"Who are you? You haven't told us."

The surgeon looked genuinely amused at that, although the half mocking smile on his face was enough to make Noctis' skin crawl. Even Gladio tensed from his position by the wall, deeply unnerved by that smile. It was a dangerous smile.

"Me? Why, I'm just a man of no consequence" With a final tip of his fedora, he left the room.

"Crimson hair, amber eyes? Fedora?"

Prompto shook his head with an apologetic smile, looking up at Noctis. He'd woken up with a small groan of pain. After an hour of the Prince fussing over him Noctis had finally settled down, and was currently quizzing Prompto on the mysterious surgeon who'd treated him. "Nope, sorry. Don't know anyone who looks like that"

Noctis sighed but shrugged after a moment, deciding to drop the topic "It's fine, Prom. Guess you really didn't know him"

Prompto nodded, letting his head rest back on the thin hospital pillow as a wave of fatigue washed over him. The sterile smell, the endless white, the medical gowns.. it was far too familiar for him to relax, the smells and sights brining back experiences he'd rather forget. Just the thought of where the memories were from was enough to make his stomach churn.

He still had no idea who the surgeon had been, though. He'd only ever met one man similar to the description Noctis had given him, but he'd disregarded that option immediately. He wouldn't even entertain the idea. There was no way, it just couldn't be him.

It couldn't be Ardyn.

 **Notes** _: Longest chapter yet! Woohoo! I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support so far_ （＾ _ω_ ＾ _)_


	10. 10: Hammerhead

Chapter Ten: Hammerhead

Prompto was in the hospital for about three days before the doctors finally discharged him. Noctis had stayed by his side the whole time, while Ignis and Gladio had been constantly popping in and out of the hospital. The two retainers took on small quests, doing miscellaneous tasks for people around the station. Gladio had insisted it was a better use of their time, earning Gil instead of sitting around all day.

The mysterious surgeon hadn't returned even once to check up on his patient, and Noctis was still no closer to finding out who exactly the man had been. What was concerning was that doctors had no idea, either: the man had been in the hospital when Prompto needed him purely by lucky coincidence, and apparently he didn't even work here. Ignis had given the staff a thorough lecture on letting random people cut open injured patients. They were just lucky the man had actually known what he was doing.

Prompto had recovered quickly, shockingly so. Ignis had concluded that it was due to either the daemon blood inside of the blonde or it was something to do with altered genetics. He thought it was more likely to be the first; Prompto looked like them, acted like them. There was no way he was anything but human, Ignis was certain of it, although the blonde's past was a mystery he was looking forwards to unravelling.

The four were on their way to Hammerhead, packed into the Regalia. Ignis was driving as per usual. He still didn't trust Noctis to drive, even if the Prince had -after several attempts- passed his driving test. Noctis, Prompto and Gladio were all packed into the back, leaving Ignis alone in the front.

Neither the Prince nor his Shield would sit in the front, both insisting they'd get car sick if they did. Prompto had offered to sit in the front beside Ignis instead, but he was wearing his full Magitek Armour to keep safe from the sunlight. Ignis had insisted the blonde would draw too much attention in the front seat, so it was decided they could all pack together in the back.

Prompto was sat on the left side, Gladiolus on the right. Noctis was sprawled out between and over them, the Prince having ignored Ignis even when the man had demanded he put on a seatbelt. 'It's fine, specs. We've got you driving' he'd insisted, and Ignis had given up, realising his attempts to sway his charge were futile. Noctis' head was resting in Gladio's lap, feet propped up on Prompto's shiny armour as he napped, jacket thrown over his face to hide it from the intrusive sunlight.

"So Prompto, are you looking forwards to Hammerhead?"

The question came from Ignis, and Prompto nodded his head in response, seeing the advisor watching him for an answer in the rearview mirror. Prompto couldn't speak with his armour on, any noise coming out garbled from behind the mask. Once he had a response the advisor turned his eyes back to the road, finishing up the one sided conversation. "Good. Cid and Cindy are accommodating, incredibly nice people. I'm sure they'll love you"

Prompto nodded once again, and they fell back into quiet. It was quite relaxing, some silence. After the brief conversation nobody talked again as they drove, listening to the soft music Noct had put on before he'd fallen asleep. Prompto was staring out at the scenery, watching the world rush by as they drove. Gladio had his nose buried in his book, not minding Noctis' head resting on his lap. He'd adjusted to the feeling quickly, glad that the Prince didn't move around too much in his sleep.

That all continued for another hour, until they finally pulled into the Hammerhead parking lot. "Gladio, wake Noct up will you? We've arrived."

The Shield nodded with a grunt and begun poking Noctis. Prompto watched, a small smile present behind the armour masking it.

"Come on sleeping beauty. Wake up" Noctis did just that upon receiving a particularly hard poke from Gladio, sitting up with a groan.

"Mm... are we there now?"

Prompto went to answer, but all that sounded through his mask was a garbled mess of metallic whirs. He shrunk back a little as suddenly all eyes were on him, an unseen blush spreading across his face beneath the armour. There was tense silence for a moment before Noct burst out laughing, clapping the gunner's metal-clad back.

"Heh, maybe you should keep quiet for a bit. Don't want you scaring people, okay? A metal man is freaky enough. Sure Cid won't have a problem with you, though"

Prompto nodded at that, a small metallic grunt the only verbal reply. The mask altered speech, to the point it was nothing more than mechanical sounds. It was dehumanising, just like the empire wanted, but the presence of his friends helped Prompto feel better about his current lack of coherent speech.

It was evening; the sun would set soon. He'd be able to take this clunky armour off once it did. Noct had told him that once night fell he could have a shower and they could go for a walk, look at the stars surrounding Hammerhead. They were the most beautiful stars in all of Lucis, he'd said. Prompto was certainly looking forwards to seeing them.

They piled out of the car, Ignis giving a small wave to Cindy as she approached them from the garage. "Hey y'all, what's this pretty li'l thing? Never seen a machine like this before!"

Prompto backed away as the woman came uncomfortably close, examining him as if he were some kind of specimen. It didn't help that the proximity was giving him a face full of cleavage, the mechanic clearly not aware that there was a person under all of the metal.

Before Noctis got a chance to explain a yell rang out across the parking lot, Cindy jerking back as she heard her grandfather's shouts. "Cindy! Get away from that thing!" All turned to stare at the old man rushing towards them, Noctis' eyes widening as he saw the rifle Cid was holding, loaded and pointed right at Prompto.

A mechanical scream rang out through the clearing as a bullet ripped right into Prompto's shoulder, one of the few weak points of Magitek Armour. Weak points that Cid had memorised from his days fighting the machines. A cold fury which Noctis had never before seen from Cid was painted over the man's face as he charged towards them, aiming his gun to take another shot.

Noctis was able to react this time: he warped over to the man and yanked the gun from his hands, throwing it into the ether. "Cid! What the fuck are you doing!?"

Despite his sudden lack of a gun the man continued to storm towards the armour-clad Prompto. The blonde was stumbling away from the approaching man, who was practically shaking in his rage. "It's one of those MT's! I won't allow it, you hear!? Not near my girl!"

It was Gladio who managed to stop Cid for good, stepping in between Prompto and the old man. The mechanic tried to push past, looking as though he was going to try and tear Prompto apart by hand, but Gladio's firm hand clamped onto his shoulder. "Stop."

Unlike with Noctis, Cid didn't press forward in blind rage: Gladio was a big enough presence that he paused, looking up at the scarred face of the Shield.

There was a tense silence for a good few moments, Prompto hiding behind Gladio with a hand clutched over his bleeding shoulder. The Shield easily covered him with his well defined body, and after the Trooper was out of sight for a few moments Cid let out a strained sigh of defeat, stepping back.

"Fine, whatever. I won't kill it, but you're not staying here, not with that thing."

Ignis gave a curt nod at that, Noctis pulling out a potion and pouring it in the gap of the armour to heal his friend's wound, daring to move again now that Cid's rage had subsided a little.

"Then we will find somewhere else to stay. That is no problem" Cid just rolled his eyes at Ignis' dismissal of his threat, honestly having expected the three to dump the MT in order to gain access to the caravan.

The mechanic moved to the side so he could take a look at Prompto, who was still clad in his full armour. Red eyes shone out through the holes in the mask, watching carefully as the man approached. The old man's eyes travelled up and down the mechanical body a few times before he snorted, turning to Noctis.

"Reggie would be ashamed. I'm disgusted, with you keeping a monster like that around. Can't believe you have the gall to call yourself a Prince!" he spat, voice laced with a deep kind of hatred they'd never heard from Cid before.

At the harsh words Gladio tensed, looking like he was ready to defend Noctis' honour. Ignis put an arm out to stop him, giving he Shield a pointed look, which was enough to make him back down. Despite Cid's unjustified anger, they had to remember the man couldn't have anything but traumatic memories of Magitek Troopers. He'd fought alongside King Regis after all. You couldn't do a job like that and not see terrible things.

It was safe to say they were not allowed back in Hammerhead, not with Prompto in tow at least. In Noctis' mind that meant they wouldn't be going back to Hammerhead at all: Prompto was their friend, their companion. They could survive a few extra nights of camping for him.

Ignis was fussing because of the sudden change in plans, but he kept the complaints to himself, not wanting to make Prompto feel any worse. They knew full well that the boy would be tearing himself up over this, even if he wouldn't show it. He'd been quarantined to the sleeping bags for a day whilst his shoulder healed, but he was up and about now. The injury wasn't why Prompto was upset, though: Noctis was in trouble, and the gunner was convinced that it was his fault.

The hadn't been expecting Cid Sophiar to contact Regis, especially not after the two hadn't talked in so many years. Apparently the man wasn't content with banishing the Prince and his friends from Hammerhead, he'd had to go and report them to the King too. The results were proving to be less than pleasant.

"I'm an adult now, Dad! You can't control my life!"

Prompto huddled further into his sleeping bag as he heard Noctis yelling from outside the tent. Noctis had been on the phone to King Regis for a little over an hour now, and what had started as a tense yet civil conversation had deteriorated into a full blown shouting match. At first the topic of conversation had been Prompto but it had strayed far, far away. Now the two were arguing about life in general, and the blonde was only mentioned every ten minutes or so.

"Just because he's a Magitek Trooper doesn't mean he can't sleep! What do you think we're gonna do, recharge his batteries?! No Dad, that was a joke! He doesn't actually have batteries dammit!"

Prompto raised an eyebrow at Gladio, who just shook his head in response. They heard Ignis' quiet advice from outside the tent: "don't be sarcastic towards your Father, Noct. He's still the King." Ignis was fulfilling his duties with an admirable tenacity, the advisor staying by his Prince's side and keeping him as level headed as possible. Admittedly Noct was anything but calm right now, but at least he'd tried.

"Astrals, no! I said no! I don't need you coming in here and stealing Prompto. Yes he has a name! I've already told you that, don't pretend you didn't hear!"

Prompto pulled the sleeping bag over his head and hid his face in Gladio's chest, but it made only the slightest difference in blocking out Noctis' yelling. The Shield made a slight grunt in acknowledgement as he suddenly had the gunner pressing up against him, but he didn't seem to mind, rubbing Prompto's back through the sleeping bag to comfort him. They'd all learnt very quickly that physical contact was the quickest way to make Prompto feel better about pretty much anything. The blonde was particularly touchy.

"Yeah right I'm coming back to Insomnia, you wish! Fine! Fine, you do that! Fine! See if I care!"

With that there was a heavy silence for a few seconds before Noctis stormed into the tent, Ignis not far behind him. Prompto noticed with concern that Ignis looked a little hesitant to say anything, as if he was scared what kind of reaction he would receive. The Prince threw his phone to the side and flopped down on top of Prompto with a groan, glad his friend was out of his armour. Prompto coupled with Gladio made the most comfortable pillow in the world.

"We're fucked." Noctis announced, grabbing a pillow and pulling it over his face, and Prompto wasn't sure if he was trying to block out the world or smother himself. Perhaps both. Gladio let him continue with his antics for a few moments before pulling the pillow out of Noctis' hands, using it to prop himself up instead.

"So, Noct.. care to share what exactly has us fucked?"

Noctis glared up at his advisor now that he didn't have a pillow to hide behind. "Don't swear, Specs. It sounds weird when you do it"

Ignis rolled his eyes at that and waited in silence for Noctis to answer his question, looking down at the Prince expectantly. Noct groaned as he realised he really was going to have to verbalise what was making him so miserable. He sighed, and finally voiced the answer everyone had been silently waiting for.

"Dad is coming to visit"

Next chapter, enter Regis! This little scenario with Regis wasn't originally planned, it just kind of happened. It was super fun to write though! （＾ω＾）


	11. 11: King Regis Lucis Callum CXIII

Chapter Eleven: King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII

Prompto thought back to the events of the past few days and let out an audible groan at just the memories, wishing they'd just disappear. After a two hour discussion turned shouting match between Noctis and his Father, it had been decided that King Regis Lucis Caelum was coming to visit their little camp. It was safe to say nobody was particularly thrilled by the news, least of all Noct.

Noctis had been ordered by his father to stay at the haven, so they couldn't even find themselves a more dignified accommodation for their royal visit. The King was going to come and see them while they were living in a tent, and to make matters worse they had a former Magitek Trooper camping with them.

This was going to be just _wonderful_ , Noctis could already tell.

Their only saving grace was that Prompto -if everything went well- would be out of his armour by the time Regis arrived. After two nights of camping Prompto had experimentally taken off one of his arm bracers, and had been quite pleased when the exposed skin hadn't blistered or burnt under the sunlight. The dosage of daemon blood injected into him had been small enough that he hadn't thrown it up, but the mysterious surgeon had still been insistent they wait at least a few days before he went into the sun again.

It was evening, currently. The sun was setting and in the dusk Prompto had removed the top half of his armour, deciding the fading sun wouldn't be enough to burn him. He might get a little heat rash at worst, but he didn't mind that.

The group were sat around the campfire eating freshly made rice balls. It wasn't the most flattering meal but Ignis was saving the best ingredients for tomorrow, for the King and his Shield.

"So Noct.. what's your Dad like?"

The Prince didn't look up from his phone, holding the device in one hand and a half eaten rice ball in the other. Prompto didn't mind seeing as he also was playing on his newly acquired phone, tapping away frantically at the screen. Upon Noctis' request, Ignis had arranged for Cor to drop off a phone when he was in the area. The Marshall had pulled through, so now Prompto had a phone of his own to use.

It was a custom device, issued to every person working closely with the royal family. It had the Crownsguard crest on the back for purely cosmetic purposes, as well as the handy perk of unlimited calls, data and texts. Prompto's phone had a Chocobo charm attached to it too, which Noctis had demanded Cor pick up for them. He'd hoped it would make Prompto feel a little better, seeing as the blonde had seemed pretty down these past few days.

Noctis let a few minutes go by before he answered Prompto's question, having been distracted by his game. He'd been in the middle of a match when the blonde had spoken up and he hadn't wanted to risk loosing his concentration.

"Eh, he's alright. A little distant. Strict sometimes, but.. he's nice" Noctis concluded, and Prompto nodded. A comfortable silence fell across the campsite once again, until Gladio spoke up.

"So, what did our great leader have to say about little Prom Pom over here? Anything constructive?"

Noctis smirked a little as the nickname had Prompto blushing indignantly, glancing up at his Shield for a moment as he answered the man's question. "He didn't seem that bothered, really. More curious than angry. Honestly? I think he just wants to check up on us and piss me off. Prom's just his excuse"

Ignis sighed at that, adjusting his glasses. "That's his Majesty for you" his words were accompanied with a shake of the head, Ignis finishing the last mouthful of his rice before looking over at the gunner. "Nonetheless Prompto, the impression you make on him is important. This man is King: if he so desires, he can remove you from our group. So you'll behave, yes?"

"Yessir!" A mock salute came with words that had Ignis smiling, resting back in his chair again as he took a sip from his can of Ebony, staring up at the star filled sky.

"Good boy."

They finished their meal soon after that, Prompto finishing up his rice and challenging Noctis to a multiplayer match in King's Knight. He was sorely under levelled for the match they'd chosen and Noctis almost tripled Prompto's score, but it had been fun while it lasted.

Under the premise of trading Prom some weapons to boost his character growth in the game, Noctis dragged the blonde off to the tent, Ignis watching them go. He turned to Gladio with a half sigh as the tent's flap fell shut, adjusting his glasses again as he spoke. "So, Gladiolus.. what are your opinions on our new friend?"

The Shield shrugged nonchalantly, turning the page of his book. He continued to read, responding to the question after a few moments of consideration. "Hm.. he's cute, but I still don't trust him."

Ignis sighed but nodded at his friend's words, not wanting to try and sway Gladio's opinion. He personally had no suspicions about the blonde: he trusted Prompto by now and besides, the boy seemed far too naïve to ever be a spy. "Oh come on Gladio, don't you think you're being a little.. paranoid?"

The man snorted, crossing his arms as he stared down Ignis, book placed down on the foldable table for the time being. "It's my job to be paranoid" he insisted gruffly, although that just caused the tactician to roll his eyes.

"Just because you're the Shield doesn't mean you have to be suspicious of everyone you know" Gladio sighed as he heard the softness in Ignis' voice, but once again shook his head in response to the words.

"I know Iggy, I know.. I trust you, don't I? I just.. he's going to take some getting used to is all. He's a Niff, I can't not be suspicious, you know?"

Ignis nodded in understanding at that. He threw his empty can of Ebony into the waste bag and walked towards the tent, giving his friend a sympathetic pat on the back as he passed him. "I know, Gladio.. don't stay up too late, okay? We must be up early to prepare for the King's arrival"

At a silent nod from his friend Ignis entered the tent, the man quickly jumped by an over excited blonde. Prompto was far too eager to tell him all about the rare items Noctis had traded him and what they all did. Ignis listened to his every word.

Even if Prompto was obsessed with phone games, oblivious to the workings of the world and a creation of the enemy.. right now in this moment the boy was happy, and that's what mattered to Ignis.

"Welcome your Majesty. I apologise for the state of the campsite, we had, ah.. an 'incident' shortly before you arrived."

"An incident?" Repeated the King, cool eyes scanning the mess of the campsite. A chair was laying in the campfire, nobody willing to pull the hot metal and burning fabric out of the flames. Several metal pegs were strewn across the ground and the tent had caved in on itself on the left side as a result.

"Yes, your Majesty. Noctis-"

"-hey! It wasn't me, Prompto started it!"

Regis -for now- ignored his son's undignified behaviour, instead focusing on the matter of an unfamiliar name. "Prompto..? Oh! That Magitek Trooper, yes? Where is it?"

" _He_ is currently hiding in the tent. I believe he's scared, your majesty."

Ignis' somewhat curt tone was not lost on the King. The man let out a quiet chuckle, clapping a hand on the advisor's shoulder. "Why Ignis, using such a tone with me.. have you finally grown a pair, my boy?"

Even Ignis couldn't fight the blush off of his face at that, Gladio roaring in laughter at the King of Lucis' choice words. "Good one, your majesty"

Everything seemed a little friendlier after that, and Gladio set about cleaning up the wreck of a campsite, Clarus helping him out The two chatted, father and son reuniting after almost two months of separation. Noctis and Regis did the same, sitting my the campfire and chatting away.

Gladio bought out the spare chairs and soon enough Noctis' two retainers were sat around the campfire, Clarus joining them.

They talked amongst themselves for about an hour, Regis demanding to know everything his son had gotten up to in the month and three weeks he'd been away from Insomnia. Noctis happily told his tale, Ignis only intervening when the Prince went just a little too far in embellishing the recounts of their adventures.

Eventually, Prompto really was beginning to think he'd gotten away scot free; that the group had forgotten about him completely, and the King's visit would pass without a word about him.

Prompto was sat inside the tent trying his best not to draw any attention to himself. The boy had been on high alert ever since Regis had arrived. He listened, tense, to each word exchanged in conversation between the group. He was waiting for the inevitable he wished would never come: they'd remember him, and he'd have to meet the King.

After two hours had passed and he still hadn't been mentioned, Prompto was beginning to relax. He curled up in the jumbled mess of sleeping bags on the floor, pulling his phone out. He continued to concentrate on the words being exchanged for a while, but he started to drown even that out eventually.

He was lying on his stomach facing the flap, not in but under all the sleeping bags, phone resting snugly in his hand as he tapped away. King's Knight was such an interesting game.

So interesting, it seemed, that he didn't notice the footsteps approaching the tent. His only warning was the chatter falling silent all of a sudden, but it was too late; the flap of the tent was tugged open before Prompto could do anything about it. The blonde could only stare up in stunned horror as King Regis' smiling face stared down at him, Noctis hovering anxiously behind him.

"Why hello there, you must be Prompto! I believe it's time for us to get to know each other, or should I give you another few hours to hide in the tent?"

Notes: this was such a fun chapter to write ( ＾∀＾) I love writing Regis so much, wish he'd had a bigger part in the game T^T


	12. 12: A Promise To Keep

Chapter Twelve: A Promise To Keep

Prompto was sure the throbbing, rushing sound he was hearing was his heart pounding. Either that, or all his blood was rushing to his head for no good reason and he was about to die. Perhaps that would be for the best he mused, as Noctis continued to half drag him over to the campfire.

All eyes were on him, Regis walking leisurely beside him with a smile on his face, as if he couldn't tell how terrified Prompto was. The gunner wasn't sure if that smile was intended to be scary, but that was certainly how it looked to him. Ignis, Gladio and Clarus Amicitia were seated around the campfire, having paused in their conversation as Prompto finally emerged from his hiding place. Ignis sent the blonde a reassuring smile, a can of Ebony clasped in his hands. Gladiolus looked impassive for the most part, whilst his father was staring at Prompto through eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Prompto reminded himself, as he was pushed into his seat by the Prince, that he didn't need to be scared. He was a human, that's what Noct had told him. He was more than just a product of the empire: he was a person. He hadn't believed it at first, had instinctively rejected the very idea, but Noctis had repeated it so many times that Prompto was finally starting to believe it to be true. It had to be.

"So, Prompto. It's nice to finally meet you"

The blonde bit his lip at just the words, sat rigid in his seat. Despite the little pep talk he'd given himself he was still terrified. It really didn't help that the King was staring right at him. Although Prompto noticed that the smile on the man's face was a little warmer now, less unsettling. That was nice.

"Uh, yeah. Your majesty. N-nice to meet you"

Prompto didn't miss the surreptitious thumbs up Noctis shot him, the sight calming his nerves a little. So he was doing good? He still felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest and he was uncomfortably hot under his clothes, but at least he hadn't messed up yet.

"Tell me, Prompto.. are you nervous?"

The heat suddenly turned to ice, a cold jolt that shot through him at the King's words. Well, he certainly hadn't been expecting such a direct question. Deciding to answer truthfully he nodded, looking up at King Regis through red eyes, irises ringed by a touch of blue. "A little, your majesty"

Regis laughed at that, clapping the boy on the back with a surprisingly large amount of force. Prompto thought it was a miracle he didn't fall off of his chair entirely. "Don't be, I'm not going to bite! We're all friends here after all"

Noctis cut in there, sending a half glare at his father. "Dad! Just because he's my friend doesn't make him yours too! That's not how it works."

Regis chuckled at that and waved his son's complaints away, and just like that the tension was broken. Prompto felt himself relax like he was a marionette who's strings had been cut, body sinking into the chair as his muscles finally unwound. He even let a smile touch his face at the comfortable banter between Noctis and the King, finding it quite amusing.

"So Prompto, how long are you planning to travel with my son for?"

The blonde looked up at the question, having happily settled into listening to the conversation going on around him and not really participating in it himself. But he supposed he had to talk now, sitting up a little straighter as all eyes were back on him again.

"Well..as long as I'm allowed to, your Majesty.." a hush fell between the six men seated round the campfire. The topic of whether or not Prompto could remain by the Prince's side had finally been raised.

Prompto felt his stomach lurch and he prayed he wasn't about to throw up. The silence stretched, Regis just sitting there with a thoughtful look on his face. After a few moments of rising tension Noctis stood up and walked over to his friend. He placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders, crouching down so they were level, looking right into Prompto's eyes.

"Listen, buddy... you're always going to be allowed to travel with us, okay? I'm not gonna kick you out. You're always gonna be welcome here. Understand?"

After a moment of simply sitting, stunned, Prompto nodded wordlessly. He wiped at his eyes as he felt the hot sting of tears there, despite the smile growing on his face. He knew it was stupid; he shouldn't be crying. He was just so happy, so relieved, and the emotions were overwhelming him.

"T-thank you Noct. Thank you so much." Prompto felt a blush creep onto his face, spreading up to his ears and down his neck as Noctis pulled him into a tight hug, seemingly uncaring that the King himself was watching.

Prompto shut his eyes against the prying gazes, and instead just focused on the Prince. Noctis' arms around him, his warmth and the heartfelt promise whispered in his ear: 'I'll never send you away'.

Dinner ended many hours later. Ignis had bought out his signature dish _Lasagna Al Forno_ , each bowl carefully tailored to the preferences of the one who was to eat it.

Noctis' included no Cleigne Darkshell, due to the Prince's utter hatred of anything green. Usually Ignis would leave them in, but he wasn't about to argue with his charge over such a trivial thing as vegetables, not in the presence of the King at least. Gladio's Jabberwock Sirloin had been cooked a full half hour less than the others, and Prompto's had extra glaze. Ignis had quickly discovered that the blonde had a love for sweet things, and made sure to accommodate that love into his cooking where possible.

Even hours after the steaks were finished -"they were wonderful my boy, truly delectable. If I hadn't appointed you advisor, I would have made you a royal chef"- the group was still chattering away, Regis eager to hear the rest of Noctis' recounts. Noctis was happy to tell, Gladio cutting in every now and then to add a few extra details. Noct was certainly more talkative than Prompto had ever seen him before. Even if the Prince had hidden it at first, it was clear that he was happy to see his father again.

Prompto found himself smiling at the thought, deciding this really wasn't all that bad. He'd been terrified at first, but Regis didn't seem intent on killing him or sending him away. He thanked the Astrals for that: he had no life outside of Noctis and his retainers that didn't involve going back to the Empire. He didn't want that, he'd decided many weeks ago. He wouldn't go back there, not unless Noctis sent him away or didn't want him around anymore.

He looked at Noctis' smiling face, blue eyes swimming in the light of the campfire. Perfect lips, that so easily spilt promises of friendship and safety and love. Prompto was confident then, that his fears would never become a reality. The Prince would keep him around, just like he'd promised. Ignis, Gladiolus, Noctis. They'd look after him, offer him companionship. They'd be his friends, even though no one else would. The thought made his chest burn, with a deep rooted happiness he'd never felt before: he was one of them now.

Notes: A happy chapter! ( ＾∀＾)


	13. 13: I See The Sea

**Chapter Thirteen** : I See The Sea

Things were going considerably well. The travelling group now had a large amount of Gil to get them through the next few weeks. Regis had left with his parting gift being two pouches full of Gil. Noctis had refused them at first, insisting that they'd be fine without, but the King had surreptitiously planted them in the tent. By the time the pouches had been discovered King Regis and his Shield had been long gone.

Noctis, Ignis, Gladio and Prompto had been travelling around for a few days now, visiting the outposts and small towns littering the lands outside Insomnia. They'd stick around for a couple of days, Noctis making a particular effort to socialise and get to know the citizens of what was to one day become his Kingdom. Then they'd move on to the next location.

Prompto was enjoying it, seeing the sights of the world for the first time. He was happy here, happier than he'd ever been before. He was with his friends, being protected and cared for and seeing new, wonderful things every day.

It was perfect, he decided, except for the cutting pain deep in his chest, growing by the and day. He could ignore that though, just like he was ignoring how the stickiness of black daemon blood rose in his throat every once in a while. How he had to leave -under the premise of a 'pee break' - to go and throw his guts up out of sight of the group, only to force a smile and pretend like nothing had happened. He didn't want to worry Noctis, nor Ignis and Gladiolus. He wouldn't be a burden to them. He refused to be.

"Noctiiiis, are we nearly there yet?" The Prince looked down at Prompto as he heard his name leave the blonde's lips, a smile tugging at his lips at the smaller male's whining. "Not yet. If you went to sleep it'd go a lot quicker."

Prompto groaned at that, shifting to try and get comfortable. He was sat in the back of the car with Noctis, stretched out across the seats with his head resting in the Prince's lap. His boots were safely tucked away on the floor of the car. It had taken a full ten minutes to figure out how to unlace the damn things, but he'd refused to get the pristine seats of the Regalia dirty with his mud-caked boots. He was pretty sure Ignis would straight up murder him if he had.

"I don't know how you can sleep so easily." Prompto grumbled, turning his head slightly so his eyes were hidden from the sun in Noctis' shirt. " 'S not fair."

Despite how the words had been muffled by his shirt Noctis understood them well enough, running a hand through soft blonde locks to try and calm his friend down. "Come on, it's not too hard. You'll fall asleep eventually. Just try harder."

"Of course, your Majesty. As you wish" Noctis rolled his eyes at that, giving the blonde a jab to the ribs in retaliation. Prompto squeaked and didn't say anything else, Noctis relaxing in his seat once he heard soft snores coming from the sleeping blonde. Well, seemed like Prompto was finally out for the count then. Good.

Prompto had been subjected to a particularly long night; last night they'd had to stay at a regular campsite due to the lack of nearby havens. It would have been reckless to sleep without someone standing guard. Prompto had insisted that he could do it, and after only a little grumbling Gladio had agreed to let the blonde guard them. Both Prince and retainers had slept peacefully through the night, Prompto staying vigilant outside the tent the whole time, not falling asleep even once.

That morning Noctis had sworn that if Prompto didn't get some sleep during the drive to Galdin Quay then he'd put caterpillars in his food. The threat had been enough to make the gunner agree to getting at least a few hours sleep, which had lead to their current seating arrangement: Gladio was staring out the window at the front trying very hard not to get motion sick. Noctis was sitting in the back like usual, Prompto spread out across the empty seats, Ignis taking the wheel.

Noctis noted with a fond smile that Prompto looked relaxed like this. Happy, at peace with the world. He decided he'd like to see more of that face. A happy Prompto was the best kind of Prompto, after all.

"C'mon sleeping beauty. Rise and shine."

Prompto's eyes cracked open as he was woken by Gladio, the man tapping his leg until he managed to rouse the blonde from his slumber. A sleepy yawn left Prompto's lips as he sat up and stretched out all the aches and pains that came with sleeping in the car. Luckily the aching was minimal- it turned out Noctis made a surprisingly good pillow. Prompto's eyes snapped open as the sudden, unfamiliar smell of the sea filled his lungs. It had a particular scent, brisk and salty, and it was something he'd never experienced before.

"Iggy, what's that? Why's there so much water?"

Prompto had propped himself up in the Regalia, elbows resting on the sun heated metal as he stared out at the sea. The waters of Galdin Quay were particularly clear today, only a slight breeze blowing through the area, keeping the sweltering heat of the sun at a pleasant warmth.

"That's the ocean, Prompto. I assume you've never seen it before?" The blonde shook his head in response to the advisor's question, finally exiting the Regalia as Noctis opened the door for him.

"I'd never been outside before I met you guys" he admitted, as the group begun to walk down the boardwalk towards the bustling restaurant, The Mother Of Pearl. They couldn't afford to rent rooms there, but they could at least get some good food.

"Master said it was to keep me safe, but I guess he just didn't want me to run away"

"Master? Who's that?" Prompto looked up in momentary surprise at Noctis' words, before remembering the concept of being owned was something completely foreign to the Prince.

He was quick to explain himself, a nonchalant shrug accompanying his words. "Oh, just a stupid scientist." He assured, trying to banish the memories that had flooded his mind. Wavy red hair that always seemed to have a certain scent of decay, and a grating voice that spoke mockingly playful words, which could turn harsh and cruel in an instant.

Prompto shuddered despite the sun smiling down on them, suddenly feeling inexplicably cold. "Come on, can we go inside already? I'm starving to death."

Ignis nodded in agreement "Yes, let's. Perhaps I'll be able to pick up a new recipe or two?" Noctis laughed at that, pulling a bag of Gil from the ether so they could pay. It was going to be expensive, but even Ignis admitted they deserved a good meal, and they had the Gil to spare.

"Let me know when you do, specs. I'll try it out, as long as there aren't any vegetables included"

It turned out that, while there were many wonderful dishes at Galdin Quay, the one Ignis was particularly interested in was completely vegetable based. Noctis complained that his advisor was doing it just to spite him, and Ignis ignored the accusation completely, not willing to deny it. Lying to the Prince was technically treason after all.

They'd ended up ordering quite the range of meals. Noctis had ordered the Galdin Gratin, hold the side-salad. Prompto had eaten the Steamed Crab with Rock Salt. The blonde had enjoyed it immensely, although had admitted that the salt was just a tad too strong for his tastes. Gladio had gone simple with the White Fish In Tomato Sauce, and Ignis with the delectable Sea's Bounty Risotto that he hoped to later recreate. The food had been brilliant, almost as good as Ignis' cooking. Nothing could quite match the well practised chef's dishes though, each one crafted with love and an eye for perfection.

While the food had tasted wonderful -and had cost them an eighth of their total savings- it hadn't been all that filling. The portions had been decidedly small, sticking with the 'fine dining' theme Galdin Quay had going, and it really hadn't been enough to satisfy the four testosterone filled men.

As night set in and the sky darkened they'd ended up buying fish and chips. Armed with three huge boxes full of chips and four servings of Allural Sea Bass Fillet, they'd sat by the sea at Galdin Shoals and ate their fill. Both Noctis and Prompto were sprawled out on the sand, staring up at the sky that always had the blonde so entranced. Ignis and Gladio chatted, finishing off the last of the chips as they scraped the dregs of ketchup from the bottom of the polystyrene frya trays.

"Hey Prompto, why do you like the sky so much? You never told me."

The gunner didn't look away from the field of stars scattered across inky black, taking a few moments before he answered Noct's question. His voice was hushed, barely audible over the waves crashing just a few feet away, as if he was afraid the whole world would fall apart if he spoke too loudly.

"I was never allowed outside, remember? So I never got to see it 'till now."

Noctis raised an eyebrow at that, turning his head back up to the sky with a small yawn. "Mm.. how did you get your vitamins then? Did they force feed you loads of veggies, too? Gross"

The blonde laughed at that, shaking his head. He knew he'd have a lot of sand stuck in his hair after this, but he didn't mind. Sand too was something new to him and he loved it, how it could be soft like silk but hard and grainy all at the same time. "Nah, they injected us with all that important stuff to make sure we got it. It was like five injections every morning?"

Noctis shuddered at just the mention of injections, and they fell back into comfortable silence. Ignis and Gladio had gone quiet too, content to simply stare out at the sea for a little while. Every now and then the flashing lights of boats were visible in the distance, little ships milling around in the vast expanse of waves.

Prompto looked over at Noctis as he felt warm skin against his hand, the Prince intertwining their fingers. He was met with Noct's soft smile, those kind blue eyes twinkling in the dark. "Love you, Prom Pom"

Prompto felt a smile bloom on his face as he heard the soft words from Noctis, squeezing the other's hand gently in reply. "Love you too, Noct"

 **Note** : These four give me life hnngh.


	14. 14: Loqi Tummelt

Chapter Fourteen: Loqi Tummelt

"Noct! There are imperials overhead!" Prince Noctis of Lucis groaned in frustration as Ignis called out the same unnecessary warning he always did; as if anybody could miss the roar of an engine and the dark shadows cast by an Imperial Airship.

The group looked up at the carrier looming above them, weapons drawn as both Prince and retinue prepare themselves for yet another fight.

Prompto readied his gun, loaded with bullets ready to tear through the tough metal armour coating the Magitek soldiers. Ignis had been concerned at first, questioning whether Prompto would be comfortable fighting other Magitek Troopers. The blonde had assured the concerned chamberlain that they were simple hunks of metal and daemons, that there wasn't a human thing about them. Not anymore, anyway.

However, it wasn't Magitek troopers that came hailing from the sky this time. Instead a much larger machine dropped down from the airship, the sun baked earth cracking under its spindly metal feet as it landed in front of them.

"Astrals, what is that!?"

Ignis could only shake his head in response to Gladio's outcry. Unexpectedly it was Prompto who provided the answer, the group preparing themselves as the machine steadied its lumbering metal body, preparing to attack.

"That's the MA-X Patria, we need to be careful! It's got missile launchers, can probably take us all out in one hit."

Instead of feeling threatened Gladiolus seemed to take the blonde's words as a challenge, readying his great sword with a grunt. "Not if we take it out first" he quipped, and with that the fight began.

Prompto kept his distance, using his knowledge of the machine to target its weak spots with piercing shots. Gladio was right under the metal beast, taking broad swipes at its spindly yet surprisingly sturdy metal legs, leaving a trail of fire in his wake whenever he swung the mighty Blade of Brennaere.

Noctis was getting up close and personal with the machine, Ignis using his daggers to set the Prince up for warp strikes. In a flurry of blue Noct would warp around the Ma-x Petria, the sound of metal clanging against metal ringing through the clearing as he attacked relentlessly.

Despite their efforts it seemed that Prompto's calculated attacks were the only really effective ones, but even then they weren't doing much. It was inevitable when the machine shot a barrage of missiles at them, a shout from Ignis their only warning.

Things didn't go too great after that. Prompto threw himself to the side at the last second as he saw the homing mistle aimed for his face. He managed to dodge the impact that likely would have been fatal, but he still got hit with the resulting shockwave. It sent him flying a few meters, and left him covered in burns and scrapes he would have rather avoided.

Ignis got off fine: he'd noticed the missiles as soon as they'd been fired, and had managed to jump out the way in time.

It was Gladio who had taken the worst of the attack. He'd been nearest the machine, and the missile would have hit him square on if it hadn't been for the metal leg that had blocked it. As it turned out the missiles used thermal targeting, and hadn't accounted for the M-AX Patria itself being in the line of fire. it took only one missile to take it down and soon enough the machine fell to the floor with a sickening metallic crunch, never to move again.

Noctis, of course, came out of the battle completely fine. He'd warped away from the missiles with ease, and now took upon himself the task of dishing out potions to his friends. The healing drinks were happily accepted with weary mumbles of thanks. After chugging several potions the group found themselves sat on the sun-baked stones of the desert, staring at the heap of partially destroyed metal.

"We're gonna get 'em back for this, right?" It was Gladiolus who spoke first, all eyes flicking to the Shield as he did. While a potion or two had taken care of his physical injuries, pride couldn't be healed by magical healing juice, and Gladio's shirt was burnt. Badly. In several places.

"What do you propose, Gladiolus? We can't exactly storm the Empire over your shirt." Despite Ignis' negativity, it was clear from his voice alone that the advisor too was interested in a little revenge. Even Prompto had sat up from where he'd sprawled out on the ground, eyeing Gladio with interest.

"Well. There's an Imperial Base near here, right? A stronghold. Cor told me about it: it's new, with low defences. We can break in and give 'em hell." Gladiolus hadn't been that sure the others would agree to his little plan at first, but as he saw the growing smirk on Noctis' face and the very specific way in which Ignis adjusted his glasses, he was starting to think otherwise.

"Yes.. we can sneak in during the night and launch a full attack.. your thoughts, Highness?"

Noctis broke into a mischievous grin, eyes twinkling with the excitement of taking on a task so bold. It'd be a direct move against the Empire. The first and last real attack against Niflheim he'd ever be allowed to take part in, most likely.

He was the Prince. Waging war was not his job. But this.. this was something he could do, and no one was here to tell him otherwise.

"Sounds like you've got us a plan, Iggy.. Let's go raise hell."

"Astrals above, this is _awesome_ " Noctis couldn't help but agree with Prompto's hushed exclamation. This was pretty damn amazing, there was no denying that.

"Feels like we're in a spy movie" commented Gladio, as they continued to move. The group were all being extra stealthy, shuffling along in a crouch. Noctis was starting to feel a deep, deep ache in his shins and thighs but he was trying his best to ignore it, continuing to wiggle his way to victory.

The Imperial base was in Leide, and just as Gladio had said it was fairly new. Unlike the other bases this one didn't have a Magitek Generator installed yet, which was definitely an advantage to them. Due to the lack of a generator to supercharge them, all the Magitek Troopers and MA Veles were at a normal strength. Normal enough for daemon enhanced machines at least.

"You ready kid? Don't screw this up" Prompto nodded in response to Gladio's words, deciding a snarky retort of 'no pressure, then' could wait for another time. They were doing this, they really were, and it was either going to go wonderfully well or fail spectacularly.

"Okay Noct, I'm ready. Let's do this."

With a flash of blue and some fussing from Ignis Noctis was in handcuffs, and their little charade was ready to go. Deciding it was best not to ask why Noctis stored handcuffs in the ether Prompto did his best to wipe the worry from his face.

Prompto held the Prince's wrists behind his back as they both stepped into the open, emerging from behind the crates that had kept their little group hidden.

The blonde kept his eyes straight forwards, not looking at any of the troopers that stood to attention around the base. His vigilance seemed to pay off: the MT's remained at their posts, not making any moves or turning their attention to him and his 'captive'.

All four friends were aware that the stakes here weren't that high; if things went south, Gladio and Ignis would come and help them out. If this base was even a little older, better equipped, then Prompto was certain he would never have be allowed to try out this crazy plan. But as it was, everything seemed to be going perfectly so far.

That was, until the commander of the base came into view. Then everything went to shit.

Prompto swore his heart stopped beating as Loqi Tummelt rounded a corner. They were heading right for each other. Prompto forced himself to continue walking forwards, each step stiff as he came closer and closer to the Brigadier General of the Niflheim army. He felt the knot of nerves in his stomach tighten, partly in fear and partly due to a tentative joy he couldn't bring himself to repress.

It was Loqi. Loqi, who'd been so very kind to him. Prompto knew the man well, from when the general had visited the depths of the Empire, inspecting the Magitek Troopers being produced there. The man had taken a particular interest in him, the first human to be called a Magitek Trooper.

They'd been.. close. Loqi had been nice, the only one who'd show kindness to him, and Prompto had quickly latched on to the unexpected source of comfort.

The man had still been strict and cold at times, but whenever he came to visit he'd always give Prompto a pat on the head and even a smile. If he was feeling particularly generous Loqi would even sit with him for a little while, petting his hair and giving him a few bites of extra food. That had been more than enough for the affection deprived blonde, who'd quickly become reliant on the General's visits to get him through the seemingly endless experiments he was subjected to day after day.

That had been his life, up until the experiments had been completed and he was taken away from the facility. Before all that, Prompto had been a work in progress, so Loqi had been able to spend as much time with him as he wanted. They'd certainly gotten close in that time, so there was no doubt in his mind that Loqi would recognise him now. He was soon proved correct.

"Hm? Looks like the runaway dog's come wandering back" the man mused. Prompto felt his breath catch as Loqi reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair behind his ear. The blonde stiffened at the touch but kept quiet, which prompted the General to shift his attention to Noctis, regarding the Prince calmly. "You bought me such a wonderful gift, 05953234.. Well done"

Noctis frowned a little as he noticed Prompto visibly relax at the praise. Why did the blonde care what this man had to say? Did they know each other?

"Well now, Prince Noctis. It's my lucky day. To have caught the future King of Lucis... I'll be promoted in no time!"

Noctis glared at the General, reminding himself that this would be over soon. He could warp out of these handcuffs without an issue, and then they could get out of here. "What about this poor soldier? Doesn't he get any of the credit?"

"Oh, the MT? No, but I'll reward him in my own way. Won't I, 05?" Noctis was surprised by the sweetness in the man's voice. His eyes narrowed as Loqi reached out a gentle hand, caressing Prompto's cheek in such an unexpectedly tender way. Noctis snapped as the blonde shuddered, the Prince taking it as a sign of discomfort even though if wasn't. Not really. Prompto had just been convinced he'd never get to feel that touch again.

Without a second thought Noctis launched a vicious attack on Loqi. He was free from the handcuffs in a flash of blue, sword appearing out of nowhere as he slashed at the Brigadier General. Loqi only just managed to avoid the attacks, pulling his sword from his sheath and deflecting the merciless blows aimed to kill.

He seemed panicked for a moment as he blocked Noctis' next strike, before parrying. The Prince easily warped away from Loqi's blade, appearing next to Gladio and Ignis, who had emerged from their hiding places once they heard the telltale sounds of metal on metal.

Loqi was left with Prompto, large industrial crates and a metal wall blocking any chance the Brigadier General had of escaping. There were no MT's close enough, nobody he could call to for help. Loqi looked between his three assailants before his eyes hardened, a look of resignation setting on his face.

"05.. be a good boy and stand over there."

Prompto did as he was told before he could even think about questioning the words, backing off from what was about to become a battleground. Loqi sounded serious, speaking in a tone that left no room for argument. That was a voice he couldn't bring himself to disobey.

The battle was never going to be fair. Loqi favoured machinery as his chosen weapon but had nothing but his sword to defend himself with, as he was rushed by the royal trio. Gladiolus came charging in from the right, ready to cut the General in half with a broad sweep of his sword.

Loqi could do nothing but jump out of the way, into the awaiting blades of Ignis. He hit one of the man's daggers hard with his sword, sending it flying across the clearing. The other sliced effortlessly through Loqi's light armour and deep into his arm, the point tearing through flesh and muscle before Ignis pulled it free.

It was Noctis who landed the final blow.

Loqi was disorientated due to the blood gushing from the deep wound in his arm. In such a state nobody could have prepared for Noctis falling from the sky, warping from across the clearing to right above Loqi.

The man couldn't hold back his scream as a sword sliced into his back, and at the shrill noise Prompto snapped. He rushed forwards, tears stinging at his eyes as the full reality of the situation hit him. "Noct, don't!"

That made the Prince pause. He turned from where he'd been preparing to land the killing blow, sword dripping blood to the floor as he looked up at Prompto. "Prom? What is it?"

Prompto practically shoved the Prince away from Loqi, who had collapsed to the floor. He wasn't dead -not yet- but he certainly wouldn't be able to defend against another attack. "Stop it! Don't hurt him! I-I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

That made Noctis stop for real, sword disappearing from his hand. Prompto was upset? Why? What had made Prompto so upset that he was crying?

Upon seeing that Noctis wasn't going to attack again Prompto fell to his knees next to Loqi, tears spilling over and rolling down his face as he frantically tried to think of anything he could do to help. To stop the bleeding. To do something.

"Hey, do.. you know the Prince?" Prompto nodded numbly at the question, not knowing what to say. He was flooded with relief when Loqi didn't look angry or disgusted. Instead the man smiled, running a shaking hand through Prompto's hair, marking the pure blonde strands with red.

"So it was all planned out, then.. you got me good."

Prompto frantically shook his head at that, swallowing down more tears as he forced himself to speak. "No! I-I didn't know it was going to be you. I'd never.. I'd never have done it, if I'd known. I-I would've stopped them-"

He was hushed by the Brigadier General pressing a blood crusted finger to his lips, and Prompto realised time was precious now. Loqi wouldn't be around much longer. That thought just bought a fresh wave of tears, the gunner's shoulders shaking as sobs wracked his body.

"N-no, you can't go. Don't leave. Please don't leave."

Loqi smiled again, but his expression betrayed more pain this time. He ran a thumb over Prompto's cheek, repeating the action over and over, barely noticing how it grew weaker each time. "I don't have much time now, 05. There are no potions that can heal something like this. Give me a goodbye hug?"

Silent tears still rolling down his face Prompto nodded and pulled Loqi into a tight hug. The man hugged back as best he could, more life draining from him by the second. He held Prompto close to his chest, running a hand through the boy's hair one final time. "You ran away. The Chancellor.. He's going to be angry Prompto. Be careful."

Prompto sounded like he was choking for a moment but he forced himself to nod, not pulling back from the final embrace with the first man to ever show him kindness. "I will be master. I promise."

"Good boy" Loqi seemed content at that, and he finally let his eyes slip close. Prompto hugged tighter for a moment, as if he were trying to keep the last wisps of life trapped inside the man. He didn't let go, not until the sun was beginning to sink and a chill was setting into the air.

A pool of blood had formed under him, soaking into his trousers, but Prompto hadn't seemed to notice. Either that or he just didn't care. The body in his arms had long grown cold, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. That would be admitting it, accepting that Loqi was dead, and he wouldn't do that. He refused.

"Prom.. he's gone. We need to go. We need to-" Noctis was taken by surprise as Prompto snapped around, glaring at the Prince. His eyes were full of burning anger, hands clenching into fists as he finally wrenched himself away Loqi's body.

"Shut up! This is your fault. It's your fault he's dead!" Prompto's furious shouting sounded through the whole stronghold, fresh tears forming in red eyes. Gladiolus took a step forward, looking like he was about to get angry right back at the Trooper, but he was stopped by Ignis. He gave the Shield a warning look and Gladio nodded, stepping down for now.

Ignis spoke up after a moment, taking a step towards the blonde, keeping Noctis safely behind him. Ignis trusted Prompto, he really did, but they'd never seen him this angry before. How he'd act when he was like this... none of them were too sure.

"Prompto." Ignis spoke carefully, keeping his distance as if the blonde was a bomb that could blow up in their faces at any moment. Red eyes snapped from Noctis to his advisor, the harsh glare softening just a little as Ignis continued to speak. "This isn't Noctis' fault, you know that. Brigadier General Loqi Tummelt was a soldier of Niflheim. He would have killed Noctis. Gladio and I, too. We didn't have a choice. Do you understand that?"

Prompto stiffened, giving no reaction for a moment before he shook his head, staring down at the floor. "No! He was trying to protect me.. he just thought that you were g-going to kill me..."

Noctis shook his head, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Prompto's shoulder. "I'm sorry Prompto, so sorry but.. you know that isn't true."

The blonde let out a sob, raising his head to meet Noctis' eyes again, his own already red and puffy from crying. "I know" he whispered, and no more words were needed. Noctis pulled him into a tight hug, allowing Prompto to cry into his shirt for as long as he needed.

"I'm sorry."

Notes: To clarify, in this world Magitek Troopers are suits of armour. A human was once in the armour, but was fused with a daemon. The daemon causes the human body to melt and fuse with the armour permanently. Just wanted to clear this up in case anyone's confused about it.

Loqi appreciation chapter! He's my favourite underrated son.

Also, a longer chapter! Finally

( ＾∀＾)


	15. 15: Bloodlust

Chapter Fifteen: Bloodlust

"Morning Prom Pom. Sleep well?"

Prompto nodded with a wide yawn at Noctis' question, surprised to see the Prince up earlier than him. That had never actually happened before.

"Morning Noct. What's the special occasion? You're never usually up this early" Prompto happily accepted the cup of coffee Ignis handed him, topped with extra cream. He plopped into his chair with a small groan, still not properly awake, waiting for Noctis to answer his question.

"Mm, Ignis woke me up. Asked me to help him cook."

Gladio rolled his eyes at that, sending a look at Noct. "Asked you? He dragged you kicking and screaming, Princess. Don't deny it" Prompto had to stifle a laugh as the Prince sent a murderous glare at his Shield, who was luckily out of kicking distance.

Soon enough Ignis came over with breakfast which was happily received, especially by Noctis. For once he'd been awake long enough to work up a real appetite.

"This is really good Iggy!"

Prompto spoke around a mouthful of bacon, Ignis sending a fond smile the blonde's way. "Thank you Prompto. We'll have to buy some more Garula rashers soon, we're nearly out"

Everyone readily agreed to that, not wanting to be without their coveted morning bacon. Gladio was pretty certain they wouldn't make it through the day without it.

It had been a week since the incident with Loqi. They hadn't really talked about it much, not after the first few days. Noctis had asked a few questions, mostly about why Prompto cared for the Brigadier General so much in the first place.

Unfortunately things had gone downhill rather quickly after the first few questions. Gladiolus had suggested that if Prompto had mentioned someone he was close to would be manning the stronghold, they wouldn't have had to kill him. That had resulted in a lot of tears and Prompto hiding in the tent for a full day, until the Shield finally admitted the blonde couldn't have know it would be Loqi in charge of the base.

Soon enough breakfast was finished and the group set about packing up their gear and cleaning up any stray rubbish in the haven. They'd camped here for a full week to allow Prompto to recover and mourn. They'd all needed the rest really, but Prompto seemed happier now. That was good.

"Noct, where are we actually going? I have literally no idea"

The four had been walking for almost eight hours now, and everyone was thoroughly exhausted. Noctis didn't answer Promtpo's question straight away; first he grabbed a bottle of water from the ether and took a long swig, before handing it to Gladio so he could have some too. "For the tenth time, we're on the way to Altissia. We just gotta get to the port first."

"Okay" said Prompto, having no idea what and where Altissia was supposed to be. "And where are we now?"

It was Ignis who spoke up then, as they mounted the top of a particularly large sand dune, finally reaching the road. At last, they were almost at the port. Then they could catch a boat to Altisia. "We're on the outskirts of Niflheim, near Empire territory. We'd best be careful"

The three nodded in response to that, as they reached the edge of the road. They prepared to cross when a truck came barrelling down the tarmac, an active Magitek Generator safely secured in the back. They were bathed in a red glow for a few moments as the truck sped down the road at breakneck speeds, likely heading out to power an Imperial Base.

It took them all a moment or so to pull themselves together, Noctis a little shaken by the sudden appearance of the truck. He'd been mere moments away from warping out into the road. It would have hit him square on if he hadn't seen it in time.

Straightening himself, the Prince ran a hand through his hair distractedly, as Ignis let out a tired sigh. "We shut down one base and they simply activate another one. It's ridicu- Noct!"

Ignis' warning was shouted as his eyes fell on Prompto. Or more specifically the blonde's gun, pointed right at Noctis' head.

Gladio barely made it in time. He threw himself into Prompto, who's eyes were glowing brighter red than usual, face blank as he aimed to kill. Gladiolus barrelled into the gunners side just as the blonde pulled the trigger. Prompto went flying, his aim thrown off by a few precious inches.

The bullet skimmed the edge of Noctis' face, the Prince letting out a cry of pain and clutching his bleeding cheek. It hurt, burned even, but was nothing a potion couldn't fix. Ignis was quick to apply a restorative, Noctis' welfare his priority as always.

Gladio was focused on Prompto, and it was safe to say the shield was furious. He wrestled the blonde to the ground, easily pinning the small body under his own, large hands wrapping tight around a pale neck. Prompto struggled as the fingers begun to squeeze, the blonde's blunt fingernails scratching and digging into the Shield's calloused hands.

It was no use. Gladiolus didn't budge, driven on eliminating the threat underneath him. He squeezed tighter and tighter, relentless, until Prompto was gasping for a breath that wouldn't come.

Prompto's fingernails no longer tore into Gladio's skin, grip weakening by the second. His eyes were growing hazy, unfocused. Gladio's eyes narrowed as he squeezed harder. He was close, so close, just a little more...

It took a combined effort from Noctis and Ignis to get Gladio off of Prompto. Noctis grabbed him under the armpits and yanked as hard as he could, Ignis prying strong fingers away from Prompto's throat. It took several hard pulls from Noctis until the man finally moved away, releasing his death grip on Prompto's neck. The blonde curled up in the dirt, clutching his throat and retching, gasping in lungfuls of much needed air.

The Prince and his retainers watched. None of them had any idea what they should do. How did you deal with something like this? After a solid two minutes of coughing and simply trying to breathe, Prompto sat up. He eyed Gladio warily before his eyes turned to Noctis, a slight frown on his face.

"Noct, what ha-"

He was silenced as a muted crack sounded sharp in the air, the noise of a fist meeting jaw at full force. Prompto clutched at his possibly dislocated jaw, staring up at the raging Gladiolus above him. "How dare you talk to him! You lost that right when you tried to kill him. If he hadn't saved your pathetic ass, trust me you'd be dead right now!"

Gladio stepped down as Ignis placed a hand of both comfort and warning on his shoulder, and Noctis was quick to round on his furious Shield. "Hey, I'm sure that.. whatever the hell that was had something to do with the Generator that drove past, right?"

Gladio only shook his head in denial, hands clenched into fists as he crossed his arms. He looked as though he wanted to strike out at something, preferably Prompto.

"Doesn't matter" the man insisted, amber eyes burning with anger flicking to the blonde. "Brat still tried to kill you. The Crown Prince. Really is still just an MT. Probably had this planned from the start, didn't you?"

Prompto shook his head at the accusations, and Noctis bit his lip as he saw the beginning of tears forming in those bright red eyes. "N-no, I'd never do that! I'm a person! I'm.. I'm your friend..."

The blonde's words faded off into a whisper and Gladio snorted, looking away. "Nobody here's your friend. Friends don't kill friends, or didn't they teach you that back in Niflheim?"

Prompto's shoulders were shaking, the blonde staring down at the floor as silent tears dripped onto the wayside. Ignis stepped in, placing his hand on Gladio's shoulder once again, knowing it'd calm the big man down.

"You've said enough, Gladiolus. We should make our way to camp now. Prompto.. despite your actions, we promised to look after you, and we are not about to let you die in the middle of the desert. However, I value Noctis' safety first, so.. if you would please walk in front of Gladio and Noctis, and behind me?"

The blonde stiffened, looking up to see if the advisor was really serious. Ignis still trusted him, right? He felt fresh tears prick at his eyes when he saw that this was the most serious he'd seen Ignis since he'd met him. He forced himself to nod, cracking a half smile. It didn't fool anyone. "R-right. Sure thing, Iggy"

Gladio rolled his eyes and begun walking again. The haven wasn't too far away, and as far as he could tell they'd easily be there before nightfall. "Get moving" he ordered, shoving Prompto ahead of him as he reached the blonde. Prompto let out a sob as he stumbled, before forcing himself to walk.

It soon became apparent that Prompto was still crying by the way he was trembling, eyes trained to the floor as they walked in silence.

Noct went to summon the box of tissues from the ether but was stopped, Gladio sending a sharp look his way. "Don't waste your magic on an MT" he insisted, but the Prince responded with a heated glare, wrenching his arm free and pulling the tissues out the air.

"I'll use my magic however I want, thanks" he snapped, voice full of hostility, before he stormed off to where Prompto was walking. He'd be damned if he was going to let all his hard work building up the blonde's self value just go to waste.

Whether or not Prompto had really intended to kill him he didn't know, but that didn't change the fact that Prompto was still a person. He most certainly wasn't about to let Gladio's harsh words take that concept away from him.

Things were normal enough once they reached the haven. They set everything up and as the day drew to a close they were all seated around their campfire, enjoying a meal together like always.

It was all so normal that Prompto would have practically forgotten the earlier events of the day, if it weren't for the almost palpable tension in the air and the burning pain that still lingered in his jaw. Despite their chatter and quiet laughter the tension hung over them all like a smothering blanket, and Gladio's snide comments every so often certainly weren't helping things.

Prompto had apologised several times by now. Noctis had assured him that he understood, that he was certain that the blonde hadn't been in control of his actions. When that still hadn't calmed Prompto down he'd taken him aside, and he'd quietly explained to him that despite all of that, this couldn't be overlooked. Prompto had nodded, had said he understood, but the lingering dread and guilt was still tight in his stomach. He'd tried to shoot his first friend. How could he possibly be forgiven for that?

Darkness was settling in, the moans and grunts of far off daemons drifting to the campsite every so often. Deciding it was time to call it a night Noctis headed into the tent, climbing straight into his sleeping bag and burying himself in it. Ignis went in next and Prompto decided to follow, eager to get some rest. It had been a long, long day, and he was practically an emotional wreck at this point. He needed the sleep.

He was stopped, however, by Gladiolus. The man gave him a cold look, considering him for a moment, before pushing him back out the tent. He blocked the entrance, staring down at him as he reached a hand into the ether, pulling out Prompto's gun and holding it tightly.

"If you think I'd leave you armed whilst I'm sleeping, you're crazy. Mutts of the empire can sleep on the floor where they belong. And if they try anything funny, they get put down. Understand?" Prompto could only nod in response to the cruel words, tearing up again.

"I-I understand" his voice cracked and he felt the tears spill over, but Gladiolus didn't seem to care. The man nodded and headed back into the tent, pinning the flaps shut as he did. The barrier of fabric wasn't much to keep him out, but that didn't matter. It was a message, one that made his heart ache as though it was about to split into two: he wasn't wanted here. They didn't want him inside. Near them.

They didn't love him anymore.

Nobody could really sleep. How could they really, like this? Prompto certainly wouldn't be getting any sleep, curled up outside the tent on the hard stone of the haven. Even inside the tent, the royal trio weren't doing much better.

It was uncomfortable, hearing the muffled sobs and whimpers from the blonde outside. Noctis felt his heart ache at the pathetic noises. He wanted nothing more than to climb out the tent and calm the distraught Prompto.

He knew Gladio would never let him though. That, and what was he supposed to say? 'Sorry, I know you're upset, but you tried to shoot me so you can't come in' wasn't exactly comforting.

At the end of the day Prompto had almost shot him in the head, and while Noctis was certain that the blonde didn't mean it, it had happened and it could happen again. As such, certain precautions had to be taken.

Noct sighed, curling up tighter and trying to bury himself even deeper in his sleeping bag. The sound of Prompto's pain still reached his ears, his heart aching with every sob. There was no way he could sleep, not like this.

It was going to be a long night.

Notes: Thanks so much for reading, and your feedback. I never would have continued this story if it wasn't for all the support you guys have given.

( ＾∀＾)


	16. 16: MTTS66XV

Chapter Sixteen: 05953234

Nobody was really all that surprised when they awoke to find Prompto gone.

Noctis was worried, naturally. The wilderness was incredibly dangerous, and Prompto was completely defenceless out there on his own. He had no weapons to defend himself with: Gladio still held the blonde's gun, which he'd confiscated the night before.

When morning came and they realised the blonde was missing, Noctis pointedly ignored Gladio's half serious musing of whether or not they'd find Prompto dead. He didn't want to think about that. If the next he saw of the blonde was a corpse... he knew he'd never be able to forgive himself.

By breakfast, Noctis was in quite the state. His hair was a mess from how many times he'd pulled his hands through it, tugging at the silken black strands. Worry was painted all over his face, eyes troubled. It was Ignis who tried to calm the panicked Prince, who was by now pacing back and forth across the haven. Ignis places a gentle hand on his charge's shoulder and handed him a bowl of hot porridge.

"Highness... you need to calm down. I'm sure Prompto will return, he simply needs his own space"

Noctis took a deep yet shaky breath at that, before forcing himself to nod. He took a mouthful of porridge and the familiar taste helped calm him some, as he nodded once again.

"Right.. you're right Iggy. He'll come back, he's not stupid. He knows how dangerous it is out there"

Things calmed down for about an hour after that. The three finished up their breakfast and sat around for a bit, not knowing what else to do. Noctis played on his phone, Gladiolus read a book, Ignis sorted through his cooking supplies. It was eerily silent without Prompto around to fill the void with happy, overly enthusiastic chatter.

Eventually Gladio recommend they go out on a hunt, but Noct refused. He insisted that none of them were to leave this camp until Prompto returned, or they all went out to look for him together.

Around midday Noctis once again emerged from the tent. He'd hung around outside for hours, waiting to see that mess of yellow hair and a smattering of freckles mount the crest of the haven. After four hours of this he'd hidden away in the tent for a while, moping. Now he was up and around again, picking at his lunch but not really eating it.

"Why hasn't he shown up yet? What if.. what if he never comes back?"

Ignis didn't say anything to that, not knowing quite how to respond. He'd been certain their little ball of sunshine would return eventually, come bounding into the campsite all smiles and positivity. Yet it was already midday and they had yet to see hide nor hair of the blonde. Gladio snorted from where he was sat, turning the page of his book and taking another bite out of his bacon sandwich "Hmph. Good riddance"

That was about when Noctis snapped.

The Prince's chair was upturned in an instant, Gladio's book laying cover down on the floor. Noctis had grabbed a fist full of his Shield's shirt, blue eyes meeting amber in a heated glare. Noctis was furious and looked about ready to punch Gladiolus' face in. Despite the Prince's anger Gladio was firm in his belief that Prompto should be nowhere near the Prince. He matched Noct's glare, his own eyes just as intense.

"What the fuck is up with you, Gladio!?"

The Shield didn't miss a beat, yelling straight back in his Prince's face, shoving Noct away from him. "That kid tried to kill you! He was going to shoot you in the face, if I hadn't jumped him you'd be dead! Don't you get that!?"

"Of course I get it, but why don't you use your tiny brain and think for a second! This is Prompto we're talking about, he'd never try to kill me. It must have been that Magitek Generator messing with him, I'm sure of it!"

Gladiolus paused for a moment as the topic of the Magitek Generator was finally raised. He hadn't considered the possibility that Prompto really hadn't intended to attack Noctis, that he hadn't been in control of himself at the time he'd shot the gun. He'd been too blinded by his rage to think about the possibilities, to even consider that perhaps Prompto was just as harmless as he'd always seemed.

As the memory of Prompto's words came flooding back to him, Gladiolus realised just how stupid he'd been. He recalled how Prompto had described the effect Magitek Generators had on him: ' _I just feel like I'm not myself anymore. There's a voice in my head telling me to.. to kill the enemies of the Empire_."

Astrals, how had he overlooked this? Had he really been so consumed by his rage that he'd forget words like that? The words of his friend, no less?

Gladiolus collapsed into his chair, head dropping into his hands as he groaned. Realising his Shield had finally seen reason Noctis backed down, taking a seat in his own camping chair, which Ignis had taken the time to righten after the Prince had sent it flying. Noctis sat, staring at the muted greys and whites of the empty fire pit. Nobody spoke for a while and Gladio didn't remove his face from his hands once, wishing for a moment that he could just sink into the ground and hide from the world forever. Of course it didn't work like that: it wasn't so easy to run from mistakes.

Two hours later and the group started packing up the camp, pulling down the tent and clearing out the ash pit. They always made sure that the haven was ready for the next group of travellers who decide to camp there, and this time was no exception.

The plan was to wait around for the rest of the day for Prompto's return, and if the blonde didn't show up by midnight then they'd set out to find him themselves.

Noctis was busy rummaging through their gear, trying to pack everything away. He noticed with a slight frown that one of their spare pairs of clothes were missing, before realising Prompto must have changed before he left. His old clothes had been covered in the blood of Brigadier General Loqi... his stomach turned as he realised that he hadn't offered the blonde a change of clothes before. Prompto had been forced to walk for a week drenched in the blood of someone he cared for. That was so wrong... Noctis tried his best to ignore the guilt wrenching at his gut, picking up the gun that Gladio had left in the tent.

He ran a hand over the barrel, worry tugging relentlessly at his mind. He was terrified that Prompto wouldn't come back, that he'd never see the blonde again. With a quiet sigh he let the gun disappear back into the ether so Prompto would be able to summon it if needed. Maybe it'd give him a better chance of surviving if he ran into monsters.

Or maybe it was too late and he was already dead.

Pushing the thought from his mind Noctis continued to pack away the supplies that couldn't be stored magically, only to pause yet again as he found a note. It was too neatly to be some scrap paper so he curiously unfolded it, eyes scanning over the hastily scrawled words.

Noctis felt his blood run cold at what he read, heart twisting as he saw the remnants of salty teardrops crusted into the page.

' _To Noct,_

 _I'm leaving. I know you can't trust me anymore. I tried to shoot you. I can't even trust me anymore. I'm scared that something like that will happen again and Gladio won't be able to stop me. I don't want anyone to die because of me, especially not you._

 _I'm going to go back to Niflheim where I belong. There's a base nearby, they'll take me back to master. You might recognise his name, Ardyn. The Chancellor. I don't think he'll be happy to see me, he might just kill me actually. But that's better than sticking around and hurting you again. You guys don't need me anyway, I'm just a defect. I don't deserve you. I'm sorry._

 _If it's any help, I don't think I would have lasted much longer. I've been throwing up blood since the surgery, the black gooey stuff too. It won't stop. I'm sorry for not telling you, I didn't want to worry you guys anymore. Thanks for looking after me this long. I love you Noct. I hope you can forgive me._

 _Goodbye,_

 _Unit 05953234_ '

 **Notes** _ **: Sorry this chapter is a little short. My art teacher sprung a surprise exam on us, so it was hard to write a long chapter.**_ **（＾** _ **ω**_ **＾）**


	17. 17: Homecoming

**Chapter Seventeen** : Homecoming

( _Content Warning: this chapter contains mild psychological abuse, so basically just Ardyn being Ardyn. Read at your own risk)_

"I've been waiting for you my dear. I knew you'd return home eventually."

Prompto tried desperately to stop his frightened trembling, but it was no use. The shaking wouldn't cease, neither would the too-fast thrum of his heart in his chest. It felt as though the organ would burst out from behind his ribs any second it was beating so fast. He was terrified, scared out of his mind and he knew it showed.

Prompto recognised this place. He believed it was called Zegnautus Keep, an abandoned Magitek Laboratory hidden in Gralea, the heart of the Empire. There was no leaving here, he knew that. Those that entered the Keep as prisoners tended to never see the light of day again. Prompto had visited the laboratory before, when it had still been in use. After his visit Ardyn had taken to using the threat of being locked away here to keep him in line. It was only fitting, he supposed, that he'd be locked up here now as punishment for his wrong doings.

He'd disobeyed orders, committed treason. Turned against his own in battle, had willingly shot down Magitek Troopers. Ardyn had been quite happy to rattle off a list of his crimes when he'd first woken up, finishing off by revealing his punishment. Death. Prompto hadn't been all that surprised.

He was strapped up to an odd device. It held him nice and still for whatever Ardyn had planned and it also made him ache horribly, holding his limbs into positions that made his muscles burn with the strain. Prompto didn't like this room at all; it was dark and cold, and it smelt of mould. There were what looked to be circular saw blades stacked on a shelf off to the side, but he knew first hand that Ardyn didn't need to use something like those. The man could inflict more than enough pain with just his hands and words alone.

Speaking of.. Prompto flinched as a hand gripped his chin. Ardyn looked him over before a smile of twisted satisfaction bloomed across his face. "Why, scared already my boy? I haven't even done anything to you yet"

"I'm not scared of you" he was quick to insist, but he knew that it was a lie. Ardyn knew too, knew how scared he was. Of course he did. Sometimes Prompto was sure the man could sense fear, like some kind of snake. He swallowed, throat dry as he processed Ardyn's words. ' _Yet_ '... A casual promise that this wasn't it, that he wouldn't be left alone. Ardyn was going to do something and while Prompto had no clue what it would be, he was certain it'd be bad.

"Why, of course you're not scared. You were so _brave_ after all, turning your back on your country to travel with that pathetic excuse of a Prince. And now you come crawling back to master. What, did they finally grow sick of you? Or did the daemon blood do its work?

Prompto's head snapped up at that, panicked red eyes meeting amber. "Y-you were that surgeon, right?" At Ardyn's nod of response Prompto felt his heart sink in sudden realisation. Astrals, he felt like he was going to throw up.

"How.. how much blood did you put in me?"

His voice was barely above a whisper, but from the feral grin that spread across Ardyn's face Prompto knew that the Chancellor had heard him. The man laughed, the noise grating to his ears like nails across a chalkboard, and it sent tingling shivers of fear racing up his spine.

"Enough." Before Prompto could question exactly how much 'enough' was, Ardyn allowed his actions to explain. Prompto saw the familiar deep red glow of a Magitek Crystal, pulled from the man's pocket. The crystals were used to power Magitek generators. They were less powerful than the concentrated energy of the generators but just as Ardyn had said, it was enough.

Prompto felt his blood boiling, a heavy red mist washing over him. His whole body felt like it was burning, growing hotter and hotter by the second. It hurt, more than usual, and it clearly showed on his face from the way Ardyn was trying to soothe him.

"Now now, don't make that face. This is what you get for running away from me. And fraternising with the enemy no less! So be a good boy and endure it, or there will be worse to come"

Prompto felt more than heard the choked off sob that left his throat, the boy barely able to hear himself over the rushing of blood in his ears. Ardyn' voice cut right through -of course it did- but apart from that all he could hear was the voice in his head, that horrid dark growl in his mind telling him to kill.

' _It'll be so easy_ ' the voice purred, but Prompto shook his head, uncaring that Ardyn was still present. The Chancellor was aware of what these crystals would do to him, with all this daemon blood running through his veins. He wondered for a moment why he hadn't just thrown up all the blood like he had last time, how it had stayed in his system this long. As if on cue Ardyn provided an answer, setting the crystal down by Prompto's feet with an almost tender gentleness.

"That's my blood inside you, by the way. Extra potent, low chance of coming back up. Bet you never thought you'd have me inside you again, hm?"

That hit home, more than Prompto would like to admit. He felt tears burn at his eyes as his stomach twisted in disgust. Knowing he had Ardyn's daemons inside him made him feel so dirty, as if the black sludgy blood would stain his insides forever. It explained so much, though: he knew Ardyn, knew exactly what the man was. He'd seen the scourge, the horrible black that oozed from the Chancellors eyes when he was angry. He'd known all along that something so repulsive had to be daemonic.

"Shut up." He hissed, and despite his building rage inside him he felt his heart sink at his own words. He was snapping already. The mixture of blood and Magitek Crystals had never affected him so quickly before. It was because this was Ardyn's blood, he was sure of it. The thought alone was enough to make his skin crawl, knowing what was inside him. Had been, for weeks now.

"My my, someone's feisty today. Your time with the Prince made you so disobedient, it's a shame."

Prompto bared his teeth in an uncharacteristic display of violence, glaring daggers at Ardyn. He was trying to resist the affects of the Magitek Crystal but he could feel the rage steadily bubbling up inside him. He was aiming it at Ardyn now, whilst he still could.

"What the hell do you want with me?" He snarled, eyes glowing blood red in the dark of the room. Ardyn didn't appear ruffled by this sudden aggressiveness, quite the contrary; a pleased smile spread across the man's face, the sick kind of grin that made Prompto's stomach turn.

"My dear boy, I want nothing more than to see you break. Now, have fun!"

With that Ardyn left the cell, a barred metal shutter sliding down behind him, leaving Prompto behind with nothing but the dark and the voice in his head for company.

' _kill them! They deserve death_!' It shouted, and Prompto shouted back. "Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!"

His voice reverberated off the metal walls, ringing back in his ears. He knew it was insane, yelling at a voice in his head. But it sounded so real that he couldn't help himself.

Prompto wasn't sure how long he'd been locked up in the device for, but it had been long enough that his limbs had stopped burning with pain. All that was left was the dull ache and the voice. He was disorientated, couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or closed. Aside from the dull red glow of the Magitek Crystal the room was pitch black. It seemed he could see the red glow whether his eyes were open or shut, so he'd given up trying to differentiate between the two.

He hissed in protest as a sudden light flooded the room, blinding him in its brightness. So his eyes had been open, it seemed. He squeezed them tight shut against the invading light, but he could still see the white of it against his eyelids. He heard footsteps approaching, but they were too light to be Ardyn's. Who's, then? He heard a gasp from whoever it was, followed by a voice. The one voice that could make everything better.

"Prompto!"

The blonde in question forced his eyes open, squinting as he tried to adjust to the bright light after what must have been hours of darkness. He felt his heart skip a beat as a familiar mess of black hair and blue eyes were the first things he saw. He opened his mouth and forced himself to speak, despite how dry and scratchy his throat felt.

"N-Noct.." the rasped mumble was all he could manage, but Noctis seemed to understand. The Prince's hands moved up to the clasps of the device. After a few moments of fumbling he pressed a button and the cuffs came loose with a hiss of air, and Prompto fell to the floor. He barely managed to catch himself in time to avoid face planting on the concrete ground, arms trembling beneath him.

Down here he was closer to the Magitek Crystal and with that proximity the voice grew louder. It was a roar in his ears, screaming at him to kill, kill the enemy, kill the Prince who dared to intrude on the sacred ground of the Empire.

Prompto pushed himself up slowly, the strain on his arms growing as he did. He realised in fact that his entire body was shaking, quivering in both his weakness and.. anticipation. He realised that with a start, and the voice was quick to give its input.

 _'Yes, that's right. Kill him, you know you want to. You're just an MT, obeying will be easier. Do as I say and you won't be hurt again'_ That made Prompto pause to consider the words, even as Noctis pulled him to his feet. He wouldn't be hurt? Ardyn would leave him alone?

That sounded good.

"Here Prom, let's get you out of here, okay?" With a flash of magic Noctis handed him his gun, and Prompto took it with a silent nod, feeling the metal in his hand. Just by the weight of it he could tell it was loaded, bullets safely in their place. Ready to be shot.

They started walking towards what Prompto could now see was an elevator, covered by a metal grate. The blonde absently noted that everything around him was still tinted red, as if he were looking at the world through a filter. That wasn't right. The world shouldn't be red like this.

"Ignis and Gladiolus are waiting for us outside. We're going to take you back to Insomnia"

Prompto felt fear flood through him and at the same time the voice of the Magitek Crystal started screaming, so loud he was concerned his eardrums might burst.

" _It's not safe! Not safe! They're going to kill you_!" Prompto's fear quickly turned to panic at the words and he raised his gun, stumbling back a few steps.

"No! I-I'm not going back there. We're not... you're going to kill me!"

Prompto's panic grew as Noctis summoned a sword. The Prince was watching him closely, cautiously, but with an odd sense of calm. It seemed as though he'd been expecting this. "Prom.. you're talking nonsense. I'm not going to kill you."

The blonde immediately shook his head, gripping his gun tighter, finger curling around the trigger. "No! You are! You're lying!" His hands were shaking, worse than they had been before, but he was still certain he could get a good shot in from here. They were at such close range, all he needed to do was pull the trigger. Just one little pull and he'd be safe.

"Prompto, listen, you don't-" but Noctis had taken a step closer, too close, and that was all it took for Prompto to snap.

"Stay away!" He screamed the words at the same time the voice yelled them in his head, and for a moment all Prompto could see was red. It flooded his vision, leaving nothing else. He squeezed his eyes tight shut against the colour and pulled the trigger, the sound of a gun shot reverberating through the room, leaving his ears ringing.

The noise didn't stop. It just grew louder until it was deafening, the white noise filling his ears. He couldn't hear himself screaming over it but he could feel the burning in his throat that told him he was, he was screaming, screaming for it all to stop.

He could see the red even though his eyes were closed, and it felt as though it were burning him. It was too much, he couldn't take it. He needed it to stop, please please please please stop stop stop...

Prompto didn't realise he was falling until his body hit the ground. He faintly heard someone laughing, the noise muffled as if he was hearing it from underwater. Ardyn, perhaps? It sounded like Ardyn.

Without any warning a searing pain shot through his head and as suddenly as it had started the noise stopped. As he was thrown into unconsciousness the red finally turned to black, and he took comfort in the darkness, the silence. It meant that -for a little while at least-he could be at peace.


	18. 18: A Human Being

Chapter Eighteen: A Human Being

Prompto couldn't remember the exact point when he'd begun hoping that Noctis would come to save him. Save him for real this time: he knew now that what he'd seen before had been a fake.

Ardyn had knocked him out after he'd shot the pretend Noctis. Once unconscious he'd been moved away form the Magitek Crystal. It's affects had eventually worn off, and when they had he'd cried in relief as he realised that the figure he'd shot hadn't been the real Noctis.

When Prompto had shot at the illusion, the body of a Magitek Trooper had fallen to the floor, not the Prince. He could remember that sight now that his mind wasn't covered by the red haze. Could remember enough to know that he hadn't killed his only chance of rescue. His only friend.

He knew it was incredibly foolish to hope for Noctis, Ignis and even Gladio to come running in, to save him from this hell. Why would they help him? He was sure to them he was still just a Magitek Trooper, a 'mutt of the empire' as Gladiolus had so kindly put it. He was certain that they wanted nothing more to do with him.

Despite that, he couldn't help dreaming of the royal entourage rushing in through the elevator, saving him from this nightmare that would otherwise be endless. He'd tried to banish the thoughts from his mind at first, but they were persistent, failing to disappear and instead blooming into hopes and dreams. All he could do now was pray to the Astrals that they didn't end up shattered.

He'd been here a week now from what he could tell. Ardyn seemed to pop up randomly so he didn't really have a way to know, but it felt like a week. A long week of pain that he knew might never end.

He tried his best not to think about that, though. Imagining the worst case scenario was not going to get him out of here.

He hummed quietly to pass the time, to keep himself sane. His throat was dry and the humming that sometimes turned into quietly mumbled words caused a dull ache. He didn't care; he had to remind himself that there was a world outside of his own head. A place where he could be safe and happy with Noctis. Insomnia, that's what Noctis had told him. The crown city. He wanted to go there, to the place where Ardyn could never touch him again.

Prompto was soon snapped from his fantasies, forcing his head up as he heard the grinding of metal, warning him the elevator was descending. He felt the lurch of his stomach that the noise always brought, skin crawling with anticipation. He hated how scared a simple noise could make him, but he just couldn't hold the fear back. That noise always followed with pain in some form or another. He just wanted it to stop.

"Why hello my dearest 05 It's so lovely to see you again."

Prompto didn't respond, simply glowering. Ardyn was always so theatrical and he hated it. He hated everything about the man, really. The annoying waves of crimson hair, the irritating way he spoke, the way he could hold himself with such self righteousness despite the terrible things he did.

Prompto felt anger boiling in the pit of his stomach but didn't let the ugly monster rear it's head. If he lashed out, said the wrong thing, it would only result in more pain. He'd learnt that by now.

"Why, you're awfully quiet today. Finally behaving for me are you?"

Prompto slowly inhaled through his nose to keep himself quiet, and it seemed to pay off. Ardyn's lips curled into a pleased smile. Prompto couldn't repress a shudder as the man reached out and carded large fingers through his hair, giving a slight tug at the mess of blonde locks before he pulled away.

"Such a good boy.. I think you deserve a reward, hm?"

Prompto felt a flutter of hope in him at the words but he quickly squashed it, reminding himself that whatever reward the Chancellor had in mind couldn't be a good one. He looked up at the man through cautious red eyes, glowing ever so slightly in the dim room.

"Reward?" Prompto flinched as he heard his own voice. It was strained, likely due to all the screaming he'd done these past few days. Ardyn didn't seem to mind, though: in fact the man only smiled wider, nodding.

"Yes." Ardyn snapped his fingers, and Prompto bit his lip as he heard the wretched noise of the elevator moving, wondering who could be occupying it. Only Ardyn had come down here before. This was new. New was scary.

Prompto's breath hitched as a Magitek Trooper came into view. His eyes flicked up to Ardyn, as if he could find an explanation for the MT's presence on the man's face. He couldn't, and his eyes soon moved back to the Trooper.

"Whys that thing here?"

Ardyn tutted at the words, placing a hand on the Magitek Trooper's cold, metal shoulder. Magitek Troopers started as humans, or at least something close. Then they fused them with daemons, and sealed them inside the armour. What was once a human body became gooey, squishy, to the point it was almost liquid. It bonded to the armour, becoming one with the metal. Part machine, part daemon. Prompto resolutely refused to believe there was any human left.

But those faces.. even hidden behind masks, the faces remained unchanged. The head didn't liquify, it stayed. To hold the brain in place, Prompto presumed. He remembered an experiment he'd witnessed: they'd strapped an MT down to a table and cut the metal faceplate open to see what they'd find. The thing had burnt under the bright lights of the surgical theatre, but the death hadn't been quick. It had been slow, long enough that Prompto had seen its face.

His face. They all had his face.

Just thinking about it was enough to make him feel nauseous and he had to try his best not to throw up, staring at the Trooper, a mixture of disgust and pity on his face.

"Now now, that isn't the kind of look you should give your brother. You might hurt its feelings."

Prompto reeled at the teasing words. He glared up at Ardyn, trying not to look at the MT. It was just standing there, completely unmoving. It was more than a little unsettling, especially when Prompto knew first hand what was under that armour.

"He- it's not my brother." He muttered, flinching as Ardyn's laughter echoed off of the walls. It was a horrible sound, not genuine in the slightest. In his opinion that laugh even held a little of Ardyn's deep, unexplainable hatred for the world. Prompto could never quite understand it. Ardyn's laughter sounded bitter, tired and completely insane. The sound was always enough to send chills up his spine.

"Of course it's your brother! You were both made by Verstael, after all. What a heartless thing to say."

Prompto just shook his head again, staring down at the floor now. It was better than looking at Ardyn or the Magitek Trooper. "No.. Doesn't matter who's DNA was used. I'm not a daemon, they are. That was the whole point, wasn't it? I'm different. Even if I'm a defect, failed experiment, that doesn't change. I'm human. I'm better than they are."

It was silent for a good few moments, and Prompto didn't dare look up. He knew he was way out of line, that his words would make Ardyn angry. He couldn't say he wasn't expecting it when a sudden burning pain burst through his cheek. He let out a cry as the sound of a bone cracking rang through the room. Well, there went his cheekbone.

"No more talking for you" All Prompto could do was listen, knowing talking would hurt like this. He was blinking furiously, trying to fight the heat of tears in his eyes as Ardyn spoke. "My dear boy, I think you're a little confused about all of this. So let me set things right."

Prompto hissed in pain as Ardyn took his chin in hand, lifting it so he had no choice but to look up into golden eyes. The man was surprisingly gentle in his hold but the movement still jostled his snapped cheekbone, and he felt a few tears rolling down his face and splashing to the floor. "Yes, you're different. But if you think you're above the rest then you're very much mistaken."

Ardyn let go of his chin and Prompto found his gaze settling on the floor again. He didn't have the strength to keep his head up, even with Ardyn present. "You entertained me for a while, yes. But then you grew disobedient, boring, and I sent you off to die. Not one person in this world wants you alive, not even that fledgling Prince. You belong to the Empire, you're his enemy. He was going to kill you the first chance he got. Do you understand?"

Prompto could only manage the slightest nod of his head, fresh tears streaming down his face. Ardyn's words had cut deep, right into the shreds of self worth he'd built up during his time with Noctis. The Prince had given him something he'd never been allowed before in his life: self confidence. But Ardyn had torn it all away like it was nothing.

Deciding his job was done for now Ardyn stepped back, straightening up and readjusting his scarf. "Well, it looks as though you finally understand your place. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, 05. Not much longer now and I'll let you die."

After dropping that little bombshell Ardyn made his exit, the Magitek Trooper following after him. Prompto didn't know what was worse: the sick twisting in his gut at the prospect of dying, and at Ardyn's hands nonetheless, or the relief that washed over him as he realised this could all be over soon.

That thought sent a new wave of tears rolling down his cheeks, and he gave up trying to contain the shuddering sobs. There was no point, no point in any of this. He bit his lip harder, trying to force those thoughts away. He had to hold on, just for a little bit longer. He had to stay alive, and Noctis would come to rescue him eventually. He had to.

It was the only hope he had left.

Notes: Usually I write on the train and bus on my way to and from school, but this chapter is so dark I didn't feel comfortable writing it in public. I'm on holiday in turkey right now, writing by the pool. Fun times. I'm thinking once this is over I'll write a new FFXV fic, and maybe a Haikyuu fic too? We'll see


	19. 19: Memory Lane

Chapter Nineteen: Memory Lane

"Hey there Prompto"

Prompto looked up as he heard the familiar voice, eyes brightening at the sight of Loqi. He sat up from where he'd been curled up in the corner of his holding cell, watching Loqi as the man approached. A happy grin formed on his face, matching the Brigadier General's own smaller yet pleased smile.

"I didn't think you'd come," Prompto admitted, closing his eyes as Loqi hugged him, held him close. "I'm happy you did."

Loqi tutted at that, running a hand through the boy's soft hair. He twirled a few strands around his fingers, rubbing Prompto's back as he did. "Of course I came. I wouldn't go on such a long mission without at least saying goodbye to you. You're my favourite experiment, after all."

Prompto positively glowed at that. His smile brightened as he pulled back from the hug to look up at Loqi, happily situated in the man's lap by now. "Can you bring me back something again? Please?"

Loqi thought about the request for a moment before nodding, resting his chin on Prompto's head, hands comfortably around the blonde's waist. "Sure I can. If you're good whilst I'm gone, I'll even bring back something extra special just for you. Would you like that?"

Prompto nodded enthusiastically at the words, tilting his head back to look up at Loqi. "Yeah! I'll behave master, I promise!"

The Brigadier General chuckled, pressing a kiss to Prompto's forehead. "Good boy. I'll be back before you know it."

"Master look! It's so soft!"

Loqi nodded his agreement, an amused smile on his face as he watched Prompto. He'd already been back in Nifleheim for a week but had only just had the opportunity to give the blonde his present. The wait had been worth it though, as Prompto certainly seemed to be enjoying his gift.

"It's supposed to be soft. It's a Chocobo feather."

Prompto brushed his fingers across the softness of the feather yet again, amazed. Sometimes when Loqi went on missions or trips, he brought back items from the outside world. It was always something small, just little trinkets that nobody but Prompto would care about.

It had all started almost a year ago, when the soldier had come to visit and a stray leaf had been caught on his clothes. Loqi had gone to throw it away but Prompto had seen it before he could dispose of it. The blonde had been immediately captivated by the dying autumn leaf, never having seen such a thing in his life.

After a little coaxing Loqi had explained all about trees, bushes and plants to Prompto. He'd even pulled out his phone and showed the blonde pictures, and had then been urged to explain how phones and consequently cameras worked. That had led to many, many /surprisingly good/ selfies of them both on Prompto's part.

Loqi knew that letting Prompto learn about the outside world was incredibly dangerous. The blonde might start to get ideas about escaping, about freedom. He knew that if Prompto expressed such desires to other members of the Empire he'd be put in solitary or even terminated, and Loqi couldn't stand to see that happen.

Nonetheless, he couldn't forget the look in Prompto's eyes when the boy had held a leaf for the first time. Prompto had seen his first glimpse of the outside world (however small) and Loqi just hadn't been able to help himself. So he'd started bringing back gifts and telling Prompto all about the world beyond the walls of the facility, and the war that plagued it. He'd taught him too; how to count, read, write. Nobody else had bothered, so he'd taken it upon himself to educate Prompto at least a little bit.

The Brigadier General found himself entertaining the idea that perhaps one day Prompto really would be free, able to explore the outside world for himself. He might even make friends, Loqi thought. Then perhaps this education could prove useful. He could only hope.

Unit 05953234 was a failure.

He was never supposed to be like the other Magitek Troopers, Prompto had known that from the start. Their bodies were cultivated inside of test tubes and stored there until they were ready to be merged with daemons, but Prompto had been removed from the test tube on his first birthday.

Not that they celebrated birthdays here, but Prompto secretly kept count. Before he'd been taught how to count Loqi had done it for him. He was twelve now, had been for about four months.

Prompto was curled up in the corner of his cell, waiting for the inevitable. Chancellor Ardyn Izunia was going to come and take him away, to the man's mansion home in Gralea. Prompto didn't want to go to Gralea. He wasn't a hundred percent sure where exactly it was supposed to be, but he knew that Loqi wasn't going to be there. Not because the Brigadier General didn't live in Gralea too -for all Prompto knew, the man might as well be Ardyn's next door neighbour- but because Ardyn wouldn't allow Loqi into his home. Prompto knew, because Loqi had gone as far as to ask the Chancellor personally.

Prompto clutched his rock tighter as he heard the tapping of footsteps approaching down the hall. It could be a patrolling Magitek Trooper, or it could be Ardyn. Personally Prompto would rather it were neither. He clutched onto the smoothness in his hands, wishing that he could have kept the Chocobo feather instead. Loqi had taken his little pieces of the outside world away, insisting that if Ardyn saw them all then they'd both be in lots of trouble.

He'd allowed Prompto to keep one item and the blonde had chosen the bright yellow feather. But apparently that had been too obvious, and so he'd chosen the large pebble Loqi had given him for his tenth birthday instead.

He'd been given a chocolate bar too, but Loqi had insisted that one was for eating, not keeping. After much persuasion Prompto had finally given in and eaten it, even if he really would have preferred to keep it in his collection instead.

Prompto chewed on his lip as the source of the footsteps came into sight and it turned out to be a Magitek Trooper. He watched through the bars of his cell as it marched past, diligently continuing its patrol. Movements mechanic, perfect, untiring. Not at all interested in him.

Prompto shivered, and silently thanked the Astrals that the scientists had never intended for him to be like that. Even if he was a failure at least he still got to be a human.

Prompto frowned as he thought about it, looked back on his life so far. Where had he gone wrong? When had he turned from the next big break through in the Empire's technology to a failed experiment that nobody cared about?

He'd been doing well at first, from what he'd been told. Right from the start he'd been developing as planned. He'd shown a few unexpected traits here and there, but the Empire had worked around them. For example, he had the strongest personality out of any Magitek Trooper created. He could express complex emotions. He even resented some people and grew attached to others.

Verstael -the man who's DNA he'd been created from, Prompto remembered- had approved, reminding everyone that it was important the specimens had 'egos', whatever that was supposed to mean. The head scientist had seemed especially pleased that they'd finally produced not just a humanoid, but a real person.

He'd been told that Verstael had made an effort to stay away from him, not wanting to become attached to an experiment. The objective of the initial experiments had been relatively straight forwards: create a Magitek Trooper for reconnaissance purposes, that could be enhanced and made programmable using a daemon whilst the subject retained a human appearance. It was a simple enough concept.

The plan had not succeeded.

They'd tried to fuse Prompto with a daemon when he was seven, and it had gone horribly. Prompto would have died, would have turned to a pile of mush, if not for his strong will. He'd rejected the daemon, fought for control over his own body. It had worked, but the daemon had still done significant damage trying to enter him.

Loqi had said he should be proud, because he'd managed to fight off a daemon all on his own. Prompto inwardly agreed.

The recovery had taken a full six months. The daemon had tried to enter Prompto's body through his eye sockets, and it had almost gouged his eyeballs out in its attempts. It quickly became apparent that Prompto would be unable to see again and the news had been enough to make the scientists consider scrapping him and starting afresh. There was no use for a blind Magitek Trooper.

It was Loqi who'd managed to convince them to keep on trying. The man had contacted Verstael personally, putting his honour aside and asking the man to continue working on Prompto. Verstael had questioned who 'Prompto' was supposed to be, and Loqi had been forced to admit that he'd grown somewhat attached to Unit 05953234, and had given him the nickname Prompto.

Upon the news, Verstael had decided that 05953234 was more than they'd first realised. They'd all known he had emotional depth, but apparently there was more to him than that: the experiment had a personality, a sense of self.

Verstael had decided that those qualities -that had never been seen before in a Magitek Trooper- had prevented 05 from being overcome by the daemon. Deciding the Unit only had a personality in the first place due to Loqi treating it like a person, Verstael listened to the Brigadier General's pleas. The facility returned its attention and resources to Prompto and continued their work on him.

During the six months it took Prompto to recover Ardyn had posed a suggestion. The man had shown little interest in the 'reconnaissance Magitek Trooper' project at first, but after Prompto had managed to reject a daemon the Chancellor had taken notice.

The man had suggested that instead of trying to merge a daemon with 05, they should try infusing his body with daemon blood instead. He'd assured the scientists that the blood would have similar effects to a full daemon fusion, but albeit temporary. Ardyn had never led them wrong before so the scientists had gone through with it and injected harvested daemon blood directly into Prompto's veins.

Not even Ardyn had predicted the full extent of the results. Of course, everything the man anticipated had happened: Prompto was strong, agile and unable to control himself. He'd also been screaming in agony for a good hour after the black blood was injected, not used to the searing pain it bought. What hadn't been expected was what had happened to the blonde's dead eyes.

They'd healed, completely. The only difference had been the irises. Instead of retaining their gorgeous ocean blue colouring they'd changed to an unnerving red. Nobody really cared about that, though; Prompto could see again and that rekindled his potential to be an effective Magitek Unit.

Things had been going well. The scientists did controlled tests on the affects of the daemon blood. They found out that if 05 was simply infected with blood, nothing really happened. His body was only altered to become impossibly strong and fast when he was exposed to a Magitek Generator. The affects would last for around an hour with a 20ml dosage of blood before all the daemonic energy was used up. If he wasn't exposed to a Magitrk Generator, the same dosage of blood was stay in his system for up to a week.

The scientists had been concerned when Prompto had started throwing up the blood if it was in his body for more than a few days, but Ardyn had assured them it was fine, no permanent damage would be done to the Unit. With that reassurance the scientists were happy to keep experiment, trying to find out the most effective way to use the daemon blood.

It all lead to a training mission designed just for Prompto. It was a small one, held within the facility. It was to be the first in a series of trials to test Prompto's effectiveness. It should have gone smoothly, but instead it had turned out to be a complete failure.

They'd injected him with the daemon blood, told him his objective: get past a few Magitek Axemen and snipers, retrieve a package and bring it back to the checkpoint. It was easy and Prompto had been following the instructions well enough. The daemon blood was enough to override his personality, force him to follow orders and focus on the mission objective.

He most likely would have succeeded, if he hadn't started burning the second he stepped into the arena.

Verstael had not been pleased. The floodlights of the arena had been enough to react with the daemon blood and cause 05 to burn, so he didn't even want to consider what kind of affect the actual sun could have. They'd tried again, using a lower concentration of daemon blood. Prompto had only received some minor rashes from the lights, but he'd shown none of the incredible strength or single minded determination and focus granted by larger doses of the daemon blood.

They'd very quickly decided that Prompto was unusable; they needed the daemon blood to enchance him, make him forget his morals and follow orders without hesitance or question. Without it Prompto was just a person, and they concluded that they'd be better off using a regular human soldier.

When Ardyn had requested Unit 05953234 be given to him, Verstael had given Prompto up without a second thought.

"Iggy we have to go get him. We can't just-"

Noctis was cut off as Ignis raised a hand, gaze stern as he looked down at the Prince. "For the last time, no. It's out of the question Noct"

The trio had stopped at a fuel station to get some gas and were currently eating in a diner, refuelling the Regalia (and their stomachs) before they made the final stint to Insomnia. They'd been driving towards the crown city for two days now, and Noctis had been insisting they turn around ever since they'd set off.

"Listen. I know you care about Prompto - heck, even I appreciated having the little guy around. He was practically a walking talking ball of sunshine. But we can't go parading into Niflheim to save him, that's not how this works. We go back to Insomnia, we ask the King to send a few Glaives after Prom Pom. End of story."

The Prince turned his glare towards Gladio at that, although the man didn't notice. Gladiolus was lounging back in his seat and reading his book, waiting for them to get moving again.

"Gladio, you know Dad won't do it! The Glaives going in will practically be a suicide mission, he wouldn't send them in just for one guy. Not unless he was a Lucian"

Gladiolus chose not to respond to that, mostly because he knew that Noctis was likely correct. No matter how dear Prompto had been to them there was no way Regis was going to risk the lives of Glaives just to get him back from the clutches of the Empire.

They'd spent four days tirelessly searching for Prompto, but when their searching had yielded no results they had finally accepted that the blonde must be in Niflheim territory. Noctis had been ready to charge right into Gralea without a second thought, but Ignis had insisted that it was out of the question. They were not going to Niflheim, and that was the end of it.

After another two days of constant pestering and only getting the same answer Noctis had had enough. He was fed up of his two retainers treating him as though he couldn't handle himself, when he very clearly could. Deciding a different approach was in order Noctis pulled Gladio's book away and snapped it shut before forcing Ignis' fork from his hands. Now that he finally had the undivided attention of both his Shield and Advisor he crossed his arms, fixing the both of them with a steely gaze that demanded attention.

"Now. Iggy, Gladio.. I'm going to tell you again what we are going to do, not as your friend, but as your Prince. You are going to listen." After he received no immediate complaints Noctis continued, voice holding the authoritative tone that he so very rarely used. "I am going to Gralea and I am rescuing Prompto. I understand the risk, and I am willing to accept it. I won't demand that you go with me; you can go back to Insomnia, if that's what you want. But if that is what you choose, I will not be going with you. Is that understood?"

There was stunned silence for a good few moments, both retainers shocked by Noctis' sudden outburst. After simply staring at his Prince for several seconds Gladio let out a low whistle, nudging Ignis' side. "Damn, didn't think the kid had it in him"

Ignis nodded in response, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the Prince. "I must say Noct, I'm surprised... perhaps we haven't been giving you as much credit as you deserve."

Gladio couldn't help but nod his agreement to that, clapping a hand on Noctis' shoulder. "Although if you really think we're gonna let you wander off to Gralea on your own then you're crazy"

It took a moment for the words to sink in, before blue eyes widened in realisation. "You mean-"

"Yeah. C'mon Prince charmless, let's go save your damsel in distress."

"Bout damn time" Noctis muttered, although he was looking down towards the floor to hide the blush painting his face. The three were quick to pay their bill and hurry out of the diner, heading towards the Regalia. They were more than ready to turn around and head right back towards Niflheim. However, Noctis paused as he noticed an unfamiliar figure crouched down besdide the car, and from the looks of things they were tampering with it.

"Hey! The hell are you doing!?" Gladio's shout rang out across the mostly empty car park, and the stranger straightened up. There was a flash of red as the trio neared he Regalia, but when they finally reached it the stranger was gone.

"Wonder who that was?"

Ignis' question was only met with shrugs as the three piled into the Regalia, no one sure what to do. Nobody had managed to get a good look at the figure and as far as they could see there was nothing damaged or different about the car.

Deciding to write the incident off as a stalker trying to get close to the Prince Ignis started the car, and they begun the long drive back to Niflheim.

Notes: finally expanded on Prompto's past experiences! I decided it was about time. Plus a look at what Noct, Iggy and Gladio are up to, as well as some Prompto Loqi sweetness after the hell of the last two chapters. Loqi deserves more love.


	20. 20: Memories

Chapter Twenty: Monsters

Prompto was pressed as close to the air holes as he could get. The light that shone through the little holes was blocked off every few seconds, and the rhythmic metal footsteps told him it by the squadron of Magitek Troopers marching past. He felt a bitter pang of jealousy twist in his gut because he knew that they would get to visit the outside. That was something he'd never seen, and he envied the Troopers. They got to go there, even if they didn't have the souls to appreciate it.

He'd asked Ardyn before, what the Magitek Troopers did when they were outside. He also questioned why he always saw them leave, but never saw any coming back. The man had just laughed, telling him that maybe he'd find out for himself one day. Prompto hadn't really liked that answer but he'd known better than to question it. Just asking in the first place had been risky enough.

Soon the Troopers had all passed and once again there was nothing but silence. Prompto retreated, shuffling away from the small air holes. The few rays of light that could reach through the holes hit his eyes uncomfortably. He huddled up into a corner, pressed back against the cool metal walls, drawing his knees up to his chest as he waited.

The familiar humming of far off machinery helped to soothe him as he waited for Ardyn's arrival. He was in trouble, he knew that full well. That was the only reason he'd be locked away in this cold metal box. It was a punishment in itself, but he knew that more punishment would follow.

He'd only been in here for a few hours but the wait was killing him. He had no idea what Ardyn would do when he arrived. Whatever it was, Prompto was certain the man would not forgive him. Ardyn was not known for being merciful.

Prompto had ran away. Tried to, at least. He'd gotten surprisingly far actually, all the way to the facilitie's exit. He'd been able to see the bright light that he knew must have been the outside world, taunting him from through the windows. He'd seen the very door that would lead him to that light and he'd lunged for it. His legs had already been burning from hours of running, but the promise of seeing the world, of being free.. that had given him new energy. His fingers had just brushed the door handle when he'd been grabbed, yanked back by cruel hands that dragged him off to the dark fate that awaited him.

Ardyn had been alerted. The Chancellor would arrive soon, he was told. He belonged to Ardyn so it was up to the crimson haired man to decide what was to be done to him now. Prompto already knew what would happen; Ardyn would waltz in all theatrics and drama, before suddenly striking. The man's words could be just as deadly as any sword or poison.

It was always jarring, how Ardyn could switch from jovial to cold and heartless in a split second.

What was perhaps even more jarring was when that didn't happen.

Ardyn was furious. Prompto had never seen the man this angry before and it terrified him, far more than all the melodrama ever could. The sound of a key turning in a lock was the only warning he was allowed before the door was kicked open with all the force of a stampeding Dualhorn. Then Ardyn was there, grabbing him by his shirt and dragging him out of the isolation box, slamming him into the nearest wall and holding him there.

"Were you really so foolish as to think you could escape me? Escape the Empire?"

Prompto winced as he felt flecks of spit land on his face, Ardyn's burning amber eyes only inches from his own. He knew these were the kind of questions he wasn't supposed to answer so he stayed silent, hoping it might appease the Chancellor's anger.

He watched in horror as black ooze begun dripping down Ardyn's face, leaking from the man's eyes and nose. He tried to pull away but the man only tightened his grip on Prompto's shirt in response. Then he started yelling again, pulling Prompto forwards only to slam him hard against the wall with each sentence.

"I let you walk my home! I let you sleep in a bed!"

 _ **Bang**_

"Such kindness, and this is how you repay me!?"

 _ **Bang**_

"What did you think you'd achieve by running away?"

 _ **Bang**_

"Why would you try to leave me!?"

Prompto felt dizzy, pain burning in the back of his skull from being repeatedly hit against cold, unrelenting metal. He forced himself to speak despite how each word set pangs of nausea coiling inside him, words just a little slurred with pain. "'Cos it's not fair"

Ardyn paused at that, a frown touching his face. He kept his grip on Prompto's shirt but didn't hit him against the wall again, simply holding him there instead. "Care to share what, exactly, is unfair?"

The blonde felt a shiver run up his spine, an instinctual reaction to Ardyn's ice cold words. The Chancellor's voice was dripping with malice and venom and it terrified him. Usually he'd go quiet at this point, shut up before he got himself in further trouble. Instead he continued talking, eyes slipping in and out of focus as he fought to remain conscious.

"'S not fair," he repeated, a vague wave of his hand accompanying his words. They were barely coherent: Prompto felt as though his mind was spinning around in circles. It made it near impossible to think "the way you treat me. The way you treat everyone... The way the Empire does. 'S not fair that you hurt me when I don't deserve it. It's not fair that everyone's going after that Prince of Lu..Lucis. Why can't you let him live his life, huh?"

Prompto let out a rather undignified shriek as without warning Ardyn pulled a sword from the air with a flash of red and the blonde very quickly found the blade pressed up against his throat. "My boy.. how do you know about the Prince of Lucis?"

Prompto bit his lip at that and he fell quiet, his mind sobering a little now he had a sword pressed to his neck. Maybe if he just didn't say anything Ardyn would get on with punishing him and then this could all be over. His hopes were quickly dashed as Ardyn cut a thin line into his neck, the silent warning all Prompto needed to know that the man would happily do much worse if he didn't answer his question.

"T-the scientists were talking about it earlier. They said all those Magitek Troopers were going off to attack the Prince."

He didn't dare breathe as Ardyn stared down at him, Prompto unable to look away from those intense amber eye. They were still dripping black, droplets of sludge rolling down Ardyn's cheeks to his chin. Prompto whimpered in pain as after several tense seconds Ardyn finally pulled the sword away, making sure to leave a long cut across Prompto's neck as he did.

"So.. you believe it's unfair the Empire is targeting the Prince?"

Prompto nodded, albeit a little hesitantly. "Y-yeah. He hasn't done anything wrong." He mumbled, staring down at the floor. He thought he was in the clear, thought that perhaps Ardyn had decided not to hurt him anymore. However his words seemed to bring about a sudden change in the Chancellor and Prompto found himself slammed up against the wall again.

"Boy.. don't talk about things you know nothing about!"

Each word was like a shard of ice stabbing into his heart, and Prompto felt a new wave of terror wash over him at the realisation. Oh, Ardyn was not happy, not happy at all. In fact, he reckoned the Chancellor was even angrier than before. Yet Prompto persisted, knowing there was no point backing down now. Once Ardyn was this angry there was no chance of redemption, Prompto already knew that from experience.

"No, I'll talk about it all I want to!" Prompto somehow found the courage to yell, glaring up at Ardyn "You're a monster for what you're doing!"

Prompto shuddered irrepressibly as Ardyn tipped his head back and laughed, the sound every bit as insane and terrifying as it always was. Then the man was staring at him again, a mocking smile twisting his features.

"A monster? How cold. Your special treatment is over little one. I'm going to send you off on an airship, with all the other MTs. It'll drop you off wherever the Prince and his little friends are, galavanting around Lucis as if they actually care.. and then, when they cut you down like all the other Magitek Troopers? You can see just who the monsters really are."

Prompto was snapped from his memories as the dreaded sound rang in his ears. The grating of metal chains and gears that signalled the elevator descending. It had been a little while since he'd last heard it; Ardyn was visiting less and less frequently these days and Prompto assumed it was because the man was growing bored of him. Either that or the Chancellor was busy with Niflheim business. Prompto wasn't sure which he'd prefer.

"Ah, my dear 05. How pleasant to see you again."

Prompto simply glared in response to the taunting words, his response in turn elicited a laugh from Ardyn. The Chancellor smiled -one of those cruel smiles laced with ill intent- as he cupped Prompto's face in his hands, raising it so he could look into those fiery red eyes.

"You still hold so much hatred for me, I see. Why you were incapable of turning all that passion towards the Prince, I'm not too sure"

"Noct was my friend. He didn't hurt me. You did" Prompto mumbled, his voice weak. Just speaking was so much effort and the blonde already felt so drained of energy. He hadn't been given any food for at least a few days now and the effects were starting to show.

"Your friend?" Ardyn repeated. He shook his head, an exaggerated sigh leaving his cracked lips. "My dear 05, if the Prince is truly your friend then why has he left you here to die?"

Prompto felt more than heard his breath hitch at the words, but he knew Ardyn would have noticed too. Delighted at finding a new weak spot the Chancellor kept digging, tugging at blonde hair to force Prompto to raise his head. "Didn't you know? Friends don't leave their friends to die. Perhaps the Prince wasn't as fond of you as you thought?"

The burning at his eyes told Prompto he was about to start crying and sure enough he felt tears rolling down his cheeks moments later, leaving tracks in the grime and blood that had built up on his face. "He's going to come rescue me" he whispered, voice resolute despite its quietness "He will. You'll see"

Ardyn only laughed again at the desperate words "No point trying to convince yourself my dear. You know it's not true." Prompto shook his head against the words, refusing to listen. This time Ardyn crouched down in front of him so they were eye level, gently caressing Prompto's cheek.

"I suppose if he does come, I'll never know."

Prompto frowned at that, confusion painting his face as his eyes met Ardyn's. "What'd you mean?" He mumbled, and Ardyn straightened up to his full height once again. The man didn't answer at first, instead reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small roll of bread.

Ardyn tore off a piece of the bread and held it to Prompto's lips expectantly. The blonde was quick to accept it, too hungry to dwell on the humiliation of being fed. Not bothering to chew he swallowed, before parting his lips for more.

Ardyn fed him another piece, then another, and Prompto was beginning to think the man had decided not to answer his question at all. Then the Chancellor finally spoke, his words causing Prompto to almost choke on his mouthful of bread.

"I have to leave, I'm afraid. We're launching an attack on Insomnia and I can't bear to miss it. I must say, I'm quite disappointed that you didn't break. It's a shame: I would've liked to bring you along to witness the destruction of your beloved Prince's home, but there's only room on the Imperial Aircraft for _real_ Magitek Troopers, not defects."

Prompto glared at that, finding new energy as rage built up inside him. Ardyn was going to destroy the Crown City, the safe haven Noct had promised to take him to. Prompto couldn't stand it. But he knew there was nothing he could do from here, nothing that could change Ardyn's mind.

"I'll take being a defect over becoming some soulless machine any day. I'll never be some dog of the Empire!" He growled, glaring up at Ardyn with furious fire in his eyes.

Ardyn laughed in response, eyes mocking as he looked down at the blonde. Unperturbed by Prompto's words he gripped his face, giving an extra squeeze to his broken cheekbone. Prompto hissed at the pain but kept glaring, not once looking away from Ardyn's eyes even as the man continued to torment him.

"Oh my dear S6, how foolish can you be? You already are one."

Notes: hurting Prompto hurts me too ;; little sunshine baby deserves to be happy. Even worse, I'm making you all suffer with me. I'm sorry. But don't worry, it'll all be over soon. Not long to go now.


	21. 21: Somnus Ultima

Chapter Twenty One: Somnus Ultima

Even when he heard the grinding of rusty chains that signalled the lift descending Prompto couldn't bring himself to raise his head. He knew it would be Ardyn again, but still some small part of him hoped that it would be Noctis who stepped out of the elevator. He was quick to find that tiny flicker of hope and squash it, refusing to let it grow. That'd just make it hurt more when his futile dreams were dashed.

Sure enough, it was Ardyn who stepped forth form the elevator. Prompto couldn't see him with his eyes cast downward like this but it didn't matter; he knew it was Ardyn from the way the man's footsteps sounded, echoing in his ears.

The grey, cracked bricks that made up the floor was all Prompto could see, but even that image was blurry. His eyes refused to focus, but he couldn't really bring himself to care anymore. He was dying. He knew that. It was only a matter of how long it would take.

"My dear 05, you're not looking too good. Perhaps a parting gift will raise your spirits?" The voice was like silk laced with poison, and Prompto saw a fuzzy black shape he presumed to be the toes of Ardyn's boots enter his vision. The Chancellor was so close he could feel the man's breath hit his face as he spoke and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Ardyn smelt of rot and decay and Prompto found himself gagging despite having nothing left to throw up. He hadn't eaten in days now.

"Now now 05, behave yourself. This is our final meeting, you better not spoil it with your bad manners"

Despite himself Prompto felt a frown twitch at his lips, a half baked retort forming in his mind. He couldn't vocalise it though, as that would require far more energy than he had left. Just breathing was such a struggle, speaking was out of the question.

Once satisfied that Prompto would behave Ardyn took a step backwards, regarding the blonde for a moment. Prompto didn't mind the brief silence; every word out of Ardyn's mouth sent a wave of nausea rippling through him. He'd much rather the man never spoke again.

"The attack on Insomnia was delayed for a few days so I had the body of your dear General Loqi delivered to me. Do you like what I've done with him?"

Those words had Prompto jerking his head up despite how his neck burnt in protest, red eyes wild as they caught sight of Loqi. He felt countless emotions assaulting him from every side, almost overwhelming with their sudden intensity. He'd thought he was too dehydrated to cry anymore but he felt fresh tears well up in his eyes at the monstrous sight.

It was Loqi, but the man was changed - horribly so. The entire left side of his body had decayed and turned to viscous rot, a putrid black sludge oozing from beneath the skin. Even the Brigadier General's face had been affected, the same black ooze dribbling down from the corners of his mouth.

Prompto shifted his gaze up to Loqi's eyes and his heart broke all over again. One eye was decayed while the other had been left untouched by the scourge. Prompto felt a horrible twisting in his gut as he saw that eye was wet with tears that ran black. Loqi was staring right at him. Crying.

Seeing Loqi -the first man to ever care about him- like this broke Prompto, more than any of Ardyn's twisted games ever could.

"Now solider, your final order.. put dear 05 out of his misery, will you?"

Prompto winced at the pained gurgling that left Loqi's mouth as he tried to protest, despite how the scourge destroying his body reacted to the Chancellor's command. Loqi stood slowly, his body looking like it might collapse under him at any second. He carefully took a step forwards and Prompto was suddenly very aware of the sabre in the mans hand.

Prompto couldn't hold in a scream as the tip of the blade pierced his exposed flesh, pushing into his chest enough to satisfy Ardyn. He felt tears roll down his cheeks for the final time as, task complete, Loqi allowed his sword to drop to the floor. The man leant forwards, forehead bumping against Prompto's for a moment. Loqi reached up a hand and caressed the blonde's cheek with trembling fingers, a weak smile twitching at his lips. Prompto felt his breath hitch at the unexpected contact but leant into it, wanting to feel the comfort that Loqi always brought. Just one last time.

They stayed like that for a few precious seconds before Ardyn cleared his throat, stepping forwards from where he'd been watching at the side of the room. "I hate to break up this heartfelt reunion, but we don't have all the time in the world here" The man smiled to himself as if he found his own words funny. Prompto didn't get the apparent joke but he didn't think too far into it. Ardyn was insane, there was no point trying to understand his twisted sense of humour.

Prompto could only watch as with a flourish of his wrist Ardyn snapped his fingers sharply, and suddenly Loqi's hand was gone from his face. The man had fallen to the floor, eyes rolling back, body twitching and convulsing. Prompto thrashed in his restraints, every cell in is body wanting desperately to help. "What are you doing!?" He screamed, as he tried fruitlessly to pull away from the cold metal holding him in place. "You're hurting him! Stop it!"

Ardyn remained impassive to Prompto's wailing. The blonde could only watch in wide eyed horror as in a sudden rush all the black left Loqi's body, shooting through the air towards Ardyn. The man staggered just a little as the black matter slammed into his body, before disappearing beneath his skin.

Prompto finally fell silent as Loqi's corpse disintegrated. The dust that was once a body settled on the floor with no way to escape the dingy cell. Ardyn glanced down at the dust before looking up at Prompto, a smile on his face. "Somehow I don't feel turning into a daemon would have really suited the Brigadier general. Do you?"

Prompto swallowed the lump in his throat at the words, forcing himself to shake his head. Ardyn could have left Loqi to turn into a daemon but he hadn't. There was no way he could forgive Ardyn for anything the man had done, but he couldn't help the sick sliver of gratitude the action provoked. He refused to vocalise it though, head dropping down again as his adrenaline faded. He was bleeding from the hole in his chest but he barely registered the pain, far too exhausted. He just wanted it all to end now.

Ardyn was silent for a minute before he sighed, loud and resigned, as if he was unsatisfied with how events had played out. Then that cheshire grin was back in its place. Cloaked in his theatrics Ardyn gave a mock bow, amber eyes locked onto Prompto who now hung limply in his restraints.

"I must say my goodbyes 05. We won't be seeing each other again I'm afraid. In fact, I'm letting you die now. Are you happy?" When Prompto didn't respond Ardyn didn't anger, just let a wry smile twist his face. "Stubborn to the end, I see. No matter! Sleep well, my dear."

With a kiss to the forehead that left Prompto shuddering Ardyn turned without another word. Prompto felt the wetness of tears sliding down his face but he didn't care. He was so done, beyond even crying now.

Ardyn watched Prompto from behind the grate of the slowly ascending elevator, face void of emotion as the boy left his sights for the final time. He'd done enough, played his game to the end. Now it was time for the real fun to begin.

Prompto had to remind himself to breathe, despite the searing pain even the basic process brought him. The wound left where Loqi had stabbed him hurt, the burning agony of a slice through such delicate flesh. Prompto could feel that the cut wasn't that deep, not as deep as it should have been at least. Loqi should have killed him then and there, that's what Ardyn wanted. He hadn't, though: the stab wound had been pretty shallow, missing all organs in fact.

Prompto surprised himself as he started crying uncontrollably again, body twitching with each sob. He felt crushing waves of guilt crash over him as he remembered Loqi's corpse disintegrating into nothing more than dust. His fault. This was all his fault. Loqi had died because of his choices and yet the man had still fought to spare him, even when he was halfway consumed by the scourge.

Loqi had protected him, right up until the end.

"Master, what's love?"

Loqi looked up from his paperwork as Prompto spoke up. The boy was bound to hit puberty soon, but for now his voice was all adorable, high pitched innocence.

"Love, huh?" Loqi rested his chin on his hand as he thought, not quite sure how to explain such an abstract concept. Especially not to Prompto, who had such a limited understanding of the world. "I guess... when you love something or someone, you really really like them. You want to be with them a lot. Does that make sense?"

The man didn't have the time to worry if his explanation was unsatisfactory because he was soon faced with a grinning Prompto, who was nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, I get it now."

Loqi smiled and turned back to the papers, scanning over sheet after sheet of words. He hadn't been expecting the promotion to Brigadier General to come with so much paperwork but he supposed that was all a part of the job. He'd brought Prompto up to his office so the boy could play with the model battleships that had been collecting dust on his shelves for years now. Loqi was just about to sign another paper when Prompto piped up again from right next to him. He jolted in surprise at the proximity; he hadn't even noticed the blonde walking over.

"Master, do you love me?"

Loqi found himself pausing at that, staring down at Prompto, pen poised just above the paper. He seemed to completely freeze for a few seconds before he sighed, placing his pen down and shaking his head, a sad smile on his face. "You'll know when someone loves you, Prompto. They'll be kind to you. More than kind, even."

Prompto didn't seem pleased by his response though, a frown on his face at the rejection "But you're kind to me!" He insisted, staring up at the Brigadier General accusingly. Loqi just shook his head again, turning his gaze back to his paperwork.

"I'm not as kind as I could be. If I really loved you, I'd do so much more for you. I'm a coward. I'm scared of what would happen if I did... so I can't love you." Loqi crossed his arms on the desk, hiding his face in his shirt sleeves as he tried not to feel too guilty. Astrals, he wanted to give Prompto the world, he really did. He's a soldier, right? He's supposed to help people. So why is he so pathetic that he can't even help a single kid?

Loqi was pulled from his thoughts of self loathing as suddenly a ball of sunshine clambered up into his lap. Prompto stared up at him with the widest smile on his face. That smile could light up the world, Loqi was sure of it.

"Well, I don't care what you say. I love you!"

Prompto could feel himself slipping.

He wasn't sure how long it had been since Ardyn had left but he knew deep down that this was it. Ardyn wasn't coming back. He was going to die of either blood loss or malnourishment, and at this point he couldn't care which. The pain would stop if he died. Right now that sounded a lot better than living.

The world went black again. He kept dipping in and out of consciousness, although he felt like he was out for longer and longer each time. He wasn't sure if that was real though, or if his mind was just playing tricks on him.

He was dragged back into consciousness again when light shone in through his half open eyelids. He squeezed them shut against the invading brightness.

His body felt so heavy and he hadn't thought he could move right now, but the light was hurting his eyes. After so long down here in the dark he'd become accustomed to it. He hadn't been expecting to see anything light again before he died, honestly. This was a pleasant surprise at least.

He felt his limbs grow heavier yet at the same time it felt like he was floating. A haze settled in his mind and he gratefully sunk into it, not minding the brightness so much now. All he could see was white, bright enough to intrude despite his closed eyes, but he decided that was okay. He could sleep now. Everything would be okay.

"Prompto"

The sound of his name -not a serial number- had adrenaline rushing through his body. Prompto jolted as his eyes snapped open, searching desperately for the face that matched that voice despite how blinding the light was. Prompto's breath caught as his eyes adjusted enough that he could actually see because there he was. Noctis. Noctis was right there, surrounded by brilliant light. Smiling at him.

"N-Noct-" he tried to force more words out of his dry mouth but was stopped by a gentle finger at his lips, a soothing hand running through his hair.

"Shh Prom, it's okay. No need to talk. Everything's going to be okay now."

Prompto could only nod and then Noctis' hands were moving, and finally the thick metal cuffs that had been keeping him in place for so long were gone. Prompto could feel arms around him, supporting him. He glanced at the elevator behind Noctis, realising that's where all the light was coming from. It was so bright. He wanted it desperately. On instinct Prompto tried to take a step toward it only for a broken sob to slip from his lips as his knees buckled underneath him.

"Noct, I-I can't.." Noctis didn't seem to need telling; without much struggle he picked Prompto up, carefully holding him. His left arm hooked under the blonde's knees whilst the other supported his back. Prompto felt like he was floating again.

"It's okay Prom. I've got you. Let's get out of here, alright? I'm going to take you home."

Prompto nodded at that, and his head fell to the side as Noctis started walking. His steps were slow and careful, his grip protective and warm. Prompto felt a soft smile fall into place on his face as Noctis carried him towards the elevator, towards the warmth and safety of the light. Safe. He was safe. Finally.


	22. 22: End Of The Road

Chapter Twenty Two: End Of The Road

"My dear Oracle, at least loosen up a little. This is such a monumental day after all."

Ardyn was not surprised as his words were met with silence. It didn't matter to him; the intensity of those fierce blue eyes could speak a thousand words.

Lady Lunafreya was perched on the edge of the chair she'd been provided, lips drawn into a tight line. Two Magitek Troopers flanked her, armed and with orders to subdue the Oracle if she dared to try anything. Ardyn wouldn't put it past her; the woman's sometimes reckless bravery was as commendable as it was foolish.

Ardyn turned to peer out the slitted window of the Airship, a smile twitching at his lips as he gazed over the rolling hills of Lucis. "Ah, it won't be long now. You'll get to see your beloved Insomnia again, isn't that lovely?"

Lunafreya snapped at that, rising to her feet only to be forced back down by cold metal hands. She glared up at Ardyn, not disguising the clear hatred she felt towards the man. "I'd rather never set eyes on Insomnia again than see it burn. What about the citizens?"

Ardyns' gaze hardened as he let out a derisive snort, arms crossing across his chest. "Rats that will simply be exterminated. They will be no loss."

The Oracle looked as though she was about to rant but instead fell into furious silence, knowing her words could do nothing now. Ardyn turned back to the window, watching Insomnia grow closer. It would all be destroyed, soon. He felt a comfortable satisfaction at just the thought. It hadn't been necessary to bring Lady Lunafreya along to watch but Emperor Aldercapt had insisted. Ardyn had seen no harm in it: the more the merrier, after all.

Besides, the Oracle reminded him of a certain blonde.

Ardyn felt a smile drift onto his face as his mind wandered back to that little Magitek Trooper. It had been such an interesting one, but Ardyn didn't regret letting it die. He'd watched it from a screen, using the surveillance set up in the cell: Unit 05953234 had woken up one final time, had something akin to a seizure, and then it's eyes had closed for good.

Ardyn hadn't been able to make sense of all the desperate gasps and mumbles that had lead up to his toy's final breath, but he had picked out one word among the gasps: Noctis. It had surprised him, that the little blonde had managed to keep up hope of rescue until the very end.

No matter. Hope didn't help the dead.

It was all ending quite poetically, he thought. Noctis had had his time playing Prince but Ardyn had cut his playtime short. The boy and his two assistants had all died together, in one very well placed explosion. Ardyn had orchestrated it of course; he'd placed the bomb himself, in fact. Nobody knew. Nobody had to.

He'd captured all the pieces at once: Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus. Prompto. He'd knocked them all out of play, and now it was time. At long last, victory belonged to him.

How sweet it was.

Nyx Ulric had never been one to read the newspaper but he supposed this was as good a time to start as any. Usually he'd prefer to listen to the radio or even watch the news but that wasn't an option right now. Insomnia's power had been out for days and everyone knew that it wasn't coming back.

Nyx shifted on the bench, pulling his jacket a little tighter around himself to keep out the cold night air. Once comfortable he turned his attention back to his paper, trying to blot out the chaos of the city around him and instead focus on the words inked onto crinkled pages.

 _ **'King Regis is dead'**_

It seemed as though the headline was glaring at him from the front page, unforgiving in its bluntness. It was the news that stood out to him most among the many other headlines printed on the page. The others weren't any less important, though: ' _ **Crown Prince and entourage left dead as bomb is planted under car**_ ' was similarly tragic but was old news by now.

Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amacitia were dead. When Nyx had first heard the news he'd nearly broken down. He'd ran off into the forest and detonated multiple fire spells, trying to vent his blind fury before he snapped completely. A hidden car bomb of all things. Snuck under the Regalia by some mystery man, blowing their beloved Prince and his loyal assistants to smithereens.

He'd vowed to make the Empire pay but even that was looking unlikely now.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Nyx scanned over the story reporting their beloved King's final hours. He barely noticed how badly his hands were shaking as he forced himself to read. ' _Unable to recover from the loss of his only heir and beloved son, King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII has passed on. Moments after his passing the great wall - our last defence against Niflheim troops- fell, leaving our city defenceless_.'

Nyx found himself gripping the thin sheets of paper to the point of ripping as he remembered the massacre of the attempted evacuation process. The future had been obvious the moment the wall fell: Niflheim Airships would come and they'd raise hell when they did. The terrified citizens had been forced to abandon their homes, flocking to the gates of Insomnia so they could seek refuge outside the city.

The Magitek Troopers had been waiting.

Hundreds of citizens had been shot down, and barely more than a handful had successfully escaped the walls. Without their King to draw power from the Kingsglaive had been left without magic to rely on, although they'd had a few magic flasks locked away in storage. They'd been able to make an opening for a few citizens to run in the chaos but it just hadn't been enough.

Despair had fallen over the city like a plague as all but the most resilient of souls gave up. The mighty walls that had once protected them would now lead to their deaths, trapping them inside like cattle. A few citizens had remained determined, organising an escape attempt. Of course the half baked plan had failed and they'd ended up as just another handful of numbers to add to the hundreds already dead.

Nyx forced himself to breathe as he realised how hard he was trembling. He took deep breaths, closing his eyes and trying to blot out the dreaded sound of whirring Magitek engines. He wanted to pretend everything was normal for these precious last seconds.

He forced his eyes to another headline, trying to keep himself together. He scanned the passage that detailed the death of Prince Noctis, pangs of regret tugging at his heart. That bomb had been planted by Niffs, he was sure of it. Ignis and Gladio had also been left dead, killed by the same bomb. How much more could the Empire take from him?

Nyx felt his heart twist at the reminder of the Prince's death. Gladio and Ignis were gone, too... He hadn't had the time to grieve yet. He doubted he'd ever get it but at least he'd get to see them again in the wouldn't be long now.

Finally, Nyx allowed himself to look up, ignoring how his gut rolled with nausea at the sight.

There were so many Magitek Airships that they threw shadows over the plaza, the whole city really. They were big. Far, far too big and Nyx had to wonder what they could possibly be holding. The Magitek Infantry travelled in Airships far smaller than these. He supposed he would find out in only a few moments.

The city was in pandemonium. Citizens hid in their homes or ran panicked in the streets. They'd all given up hope of survival but that wasn't too surprising; The Niflheim agenda wasn't one of mercy, it was one of complete and utter annihilation.

Nyx Ulric forced his eyes back to the paper one final time, trying to focus on the words. He could hear the roar of blood rushing in his ears as the slow grinding of gears begun. There were so many Airships opening their metallic jaws that the noise was almost deafening but he did his best to drown it out. He felt horror creep up his spine as the gurgles and groans of daemons reached his ears.

The city of light. The city that never sleeps. Whatever Insomnia was before, without its Prince or King it was a city doomed to fall.

He didn't allow himself to panic or even close his eyes as the first sounds of destruction begun. Instead he kept his eyes to the paper, unseeing as they drifted over lines of words that he couldn't make out. He sat there on the cold wooden bench, grasping for one final moment of normalcy before the world ends.

So.. it's over. I've loved writing this fic, and I'm sad that it's come to an end. I'd already posted this ending once but a lot of people were confused over what happened, so I've added to it and am now posting it again. Hope it makes more sense now, but if not please ask any questions you have in the comments, and I'll make sure to explain!

See you next story 3 Thank you so much for all the support you've all given me throughout this fic, it's really meant the world to me!

(Edit: as of 22nd February 2018, all chapters have been replaced with their new, thoroughly proofread and edited chapters. I've also started work on a multi chapter alternate ending side fic for Night Light -so basically where there's no car bomb and Prompto actually gets rescued- so if you're interested in reading that please consider subscribing to me so you're notified when I post it! See you guys soon ?)


	23. Announcement!

Hey guys! This is an announcement to say I've _finally_ written and posted the first chapter of the happy ending fic! So many of you wanted to kill me for ending Night Light the way I did, so I decided to write the alt ending as an apology. It's called 'Exsomnis'.

Updates should be every week or so, I've just started college so not sure how busy I'm going to be, but I have a lot of free periods so I should be able to write fairly often. I'm definitely going to be starting more fics soon, FFXV and otherwise, so keep an eye out!

Love you all! Also, quick reminder that I've moved to a new tumblr! The username is "epidepi" it won't let me link it for some silly reason ): but if you type it in the tumblr search bar, I should show up!


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